The Security Council today welcomed the elaboration of transitional political arrangements in Mali and underlined the need to fully adhere to their terms, issuing a presidential statement in the wake of developments unfolding rapidly in the West African nation.
Briefing the Security Council during a videoconference meeting today, the senior United Nations official in Colombia took stock of strides and challenges in implementing the country’s 2016 Peace Agreement, as members broadly hailed the parties’ commitment — and their own unity — towards turning the page on the five‑decades-long conflict.
Amid concern about unceasing hurdles to the exercise of political freedoms and human rights in the Great Lakes region, the United Nations is launching a new strategy focused on preventive diplomacy, security cooperation and development, the Secretary‑General’s senior political official for the strife‑torn area told the Security Council today, noting that the plan would guide the Organization’s action for the next 10 years.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Vassily Nebenzia (Russian Federation):
Expressing concern over Turkey’s recently announced plan to open the coastline of Varosha, a city on the eastern edge of Cyprus, the Security Council called today for a reversal of that decision and for the parties to avoid any unilateral action that could raise tensions on the island.
The Nobel Committee has awarded this year’s Peace Prize to the United Nation World Food Programme (WFP). The Secretary-General congratulates David Beasley, WFP’s Executive Director, as well as the agency’s entire staff. The Programme is on the frontlines of food insecurity, serving the most vulnerable of the world.
On 8 October 2020, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities approved the addition of the entry specified below to its ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2368 (2017), and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations:
In the tumultuous weeks following Mali’s most recent coup d’état, robust regional leadership and a new transition plan have emerged as promising signs that the country can emerge from its “hellish cycle” of mistrust, violence and repeated Government overthrows, a senior United Nations told the Security Council today.
With the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) having successfully adjusted to COVID-19, its leader called for continued international support to help the country meet the challenges posed by armed groups and political tension, amid intensified planning for the Mission’s drawdown.
Despite some of its work remaining curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is pressing forward with efforts to verify the destruction of Syria’s stockpiles and production facilities, the senior United Nations disarmament official told the Security Council today, as members diverged sharply over procedural matters.
