Following the fifth launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, on 18 December, Security Council members today called for de-escalation, political dialogue and diplomatic solutions for the Korean Peninsula, and a restoration of unity among the 15-nation Council.
The Security Council today extended for one year the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and set out a comprehensive disengagement plan that includes three distinct and successive phases and the gradual handover of responsibility to the Government.
Even with war raging in Gaza, it is critical at this important juncture to enable parties to re-engage on the long-delayed political path to a two-State solution, the United Nations’ point man for Middle East peace told the Security Council today, as he urged Israelis, Palestinians, States in the region and the broader international community to work together towards that goal.
The international community must exhaust “all available diplomatic avenues” to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear programme, the United Nations’ top political and peacebuilding official told the Security Council today, even as participants to that Plan disagreed on how to achieve this.
On 7 December 2023, the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo briefed the members of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) in connection with the Group’s midterm report, which was submitted in pursuance of paragraph 6 of resolution 2688 (2023).
Dialogue and settlement between key parties are necessary for the advancement of the political process in Libya, particularly the holding of elections, the top United Nations official there told the Security Council today in a meeting on the situation in the country.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President José Javier De la Gasca LopezDomínguez (Ecuador):
Small arms and light weapons are key drivers of hostilities and “de facto weapons of mass destruction”, killing 700 people per day, speakers told the Security Council today during a debate that highlighted the need for the 15-nation body to mount a comprehensive response that included strict control over diversion of those weapons to conflict zones.
Outgoing Chairs of Security Council subsidiary bodies detailed their work today on various progress made, underscoring their efforts in discussions on security situations, activities of armed groups and monitoring of arms embargoes, as they emphasized that more work remains to be done to move forward the goals of the 15-member body.
South Sudan is not yet ready to hold credible elections in 2024, a senior United Nations official said today, as the Security Council examined the recent developments in that country, including implementation of the 2018 peace agreement and the dire humanitarian situation exacerbated by the influx of people fleeing the conflict in Sudan.
