Security Council

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Mahamat Zene Cherif (Chad):

Weak institutions, cyclical environmental shocks, vast ungoverned spaces, fragile economies and poverty had contributed to suffering and created conditions for transnational criminal organizations in the Sahel, the Security Council heard today, as the Secretary‑General’s Special Envoy for the region said the need for sustaining the 15-member body’s attention there was “greater than ever”.

Transparency, synergy, and cooperation were vital to the working methods of the 2140 Committee on Yemen, the Security Council heard today during a presentation of the body’s second report.

When the Security Council established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda 20 years ago, on the heels of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia the previous year, the landscape of international criminal law was altered forever, members heard today as they reviewed developments.

In a presidential statement adopted today, the Security Council expressed concern at the grave security situation in parts of Central Africa within the remit of the United Nations Regional Office there, in particular, the ongoing crisis in the Central African Republic and its regional impact, the continuing threat of the Lord’s Resistance Army, and the expansion of Boko Haram terrorist activities into countries in the subregion.

The members of the Security Council have taken note of Saturday’s parliamentary vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, and recent political instability in the country.

The five outgoing members of the Security Council — the Republic of Korea, Australia, Argentina, Luxembourg and Rwanda — delivered briefings to the Security Council this afternoon on the work of the subsidiary bodies they had chaired during their two-year tenure.

Although the situation in the Central African Republic remained volatile following the recent violence in Bangui, the political process was once again moving forward, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council this morning.

The Security Council today renewed sanctions measures on Liberia for a further nine months, while recognizing the impact of the Ebola outbreak on peace and security as a factor for future decisions to modify or lift the restrictions.

On 3 December 2014, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic held an exchange of views on the final report of the Panel of Experts (S/2014/762) and the implementation of sanctions measures pursuant to resolutions 2127 (2013) and 2134 (2014) with the representatives to the United Nations of the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.