The magnitude of the civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine cannot be denied, the head of United Nations political affairs told the Security Council today, demanding accountability and a thorough investigation.
The Security Council decided today to extend the mandate of the United Nations special political mission in Afghanistan for one year, shifting its priority tasks to better align with the evolving reality on the ground.
Libya is facing a crisis that could spark instability and lead to the formation of parallel Governments if left unresolved, the United Nations political affairs chief warned the Security Council today, as she laid out the significant efforts being deployed by the United Nations to foster agreement on a constitutional basis for the holding of elections as soon as possible.
After more than seven years of war, Yemen is becoming a chronic emergency, marked by hunger, disease and other miseries that are rising faster than aid agencies can reverse, United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told the Security Council today, as the Special Envoy for the country called for joint efforts by Yemenis and the international community to break the entrenched cycle of violence.
The Security Council decided today to extend the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan for one year, as two delegates abstained over the incorporation of language related to human rights and climate change.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the global community have a moral obligation to support the people of Ukraine and not to stand silent in the face of the ongoing Russian aggression against them, the Head of that regional group told the Security Council today, warning that “we will be judged by the way we respond to these horrors”.
The comprehensive review of resolution 1540 (2004) — adopted unanimously to prevent non-State actors from acquiring nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, their means of delivery and related materials — is the top priority for the Committee charged with overseeing implementation of that landmark instrument, its Chair told the Security Council today.
The United Nations is not aware of any biological weapons programmes, the High Representative of Disarmament Affairs told the Security Council at an emergency meeting this morning to address related concerns in Ukraine.
Pending issues with Syria’s declaration of its chemical weapons programme remain unresolved, the United Nations disarmament chief told the Security Council today, as delegates traded barbs over the impartiality of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the frequency with which the 15-member organ considers the matter.
Equal economic empowerment between the sexes would yield huge dividends for peacebuilding efforts, the top United Nations official for the empowerment of women told the Security Council today, as she and other experts highlighted the need for increased international efforts on meaningful inclusion, regardless of gender.
