Syria’s initial declaration of chemical weapons on its territory cannot be considered accurate and complete, the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said during a Security Council videoconference meeting on 11 December, while Damascus and its allies insisted that those stockpiles had been confirmed all destroyed by 2014.
The head of the United Nations team investigating atrocity crimes committed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) called on the Security Council today to maintain its unanimous support as the team makes strides in pursuit of justice for victims through its innovative model, in close collaboration with Iraqis.
Justice in a key case is within reach for victims of crimes in Darfur, said the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in a 10 December video‑teleconference meeting, as she outlined improving relations with the Government of Sudan in efforts to hold perpetrators of atrocity crimes to account.
Security and other challenges in Central Africa affect West Africa, the Great Lakes and other subregions on the continent, speakers warned during a Security Council videoconference meeting on 9 December, calling for greater regional cooperation and coordination to address the root causes of instability and safety threats posed by the Boko Haram insurgents and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
Officials briefing the Security Council today called for international support for Sudan as it advances in the face of complex challenges, outlining that country’s recent political progress and the transition from the African Union‑United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) to a newly mandated presence.
On 30 November 2020, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) approved updates to its seventh implementation assistance notice entitled “Guidelines for Obtaining Exemptions to Deliver Humanitarian Assistance to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”, which was adopted by the Committee on 6 August 2018. The updated implementation assistance notice provides additional guidance on the humanitarian exemption mechanism and is available on the Committee’s website in all official languages of the United Nations (https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1718/implementation-notices and https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1718/exemptions‑measures/humanitarian-exemption-requests).
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has closed nine field offices since the peaceful transfer of power in the 2018 presidential elections, the Organization’s top official in that country told the Security Council today, reporting that a new strategy for the operation’s eventual closure recognizes and is tailored to differing realities on the ground and security needs in each province.
Noting an improved security situation in Burundi, but also calling on its Government to address human rights violations and other continuing issues, the Security Council today ended mandatory reporting on the country and encouraged its international partners to continue dialogue towards resumption of development assistance.
The Security Council today renewed for an additional 12 months its authorization for States and regional organizations cooperating with Somalia to use all necessary means to fight piracy off the coast of the East African country, with voting results announced virtually in accordance with the temporary silence procedure adopted for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ahead of a high-level debate on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union in peace and security, the Security Council today encouraged the two organizations to further strengthen their coordination in a mutually supportive manner across the range of possible responses to conflict.
