Security Council

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Matthew Rycroft (United Kingdom):

The Security Council this morning underscored the importance of increased coordination, cooperation and interaction among the principal organs of the United Nations, in particular the Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, other relevant bodies including the Peacebuilding Commission, and regional organizations, including the African Union.

The Security Council today voiced its deep concerns about the growing insecurity, the continued rise in violence, and the persisting political impasse in Burundi, marked by a lack of dialogue among Burundian stakeholders. 

The overall security situation in Darfur remained precarious and unpredictable, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations told the Security Council this morning, stressing that a comprehensive resolution of the Darfur conflict, which would allow for the return of over 2.6 million displaced persons, required first and foremost a political settlement between the Government and the armed movements.

Libya presented fertile ground for Al-Qaida and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham (ISIL/ISIS) to exploit an already difficult situation, the Chair of the sanctions committee monitoring those militant groups told the Security Council this afternoon.

The failure of the parties to the Syrian conflict to uphold the basic tenets of international humanitarian and human rights law had propelled the Syrian people to levels of tragedy and despair that could barely have been imagined five years ago, Stephen O’Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told the Security Council this morning.

On 26 October 2015, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities removed the name below from the Al-Qaida Sanctions List after concluding its consideration of the delisting requests for this name submitted through the Office of the Ombudsperson established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1904 (2009), and after considering the Comprehensive Report of the Ombudsperson on this delisting request.

Following recent delays, warring parties in Yemen had agreed to take part in United Nations‑sponsored peace talks aimed at ending the fighting based on the framework set out in resolution 2216 (2015), the Secretary‑General’s Special Envoy in that country told the Security Council today, underlining the importance of its support to both sides, as positions remained “very divergent”.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Román Oyarzun Marchesi (Spain):

The Security Council this morning extended the arms embargo on Somalia until 15 November 2016 while reaffirming the country’s sovereignty over its natural resources.  It also reaffirmed the arms embargo on Eritrea.