Security Council

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council open debate on the Middle East, in New York today:

Amid the current political impasse and rising tensions between Pristina and Belgrade, which have resulted in violence, the international community must urge both sides to foster purposeful and concerted actions towards peaceful resolution, the United Nations top official in Kosovo said today, as representatives asserted differing opinions about the cause of regional instability and the lack of implementation of relevant agreements.

Speakers in the Security Council today called for the swift deployment and integration of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, the enforcement of renewed sanctions, and broad political dialogue, all as a means to provide the conditions for elections and to combat the situation of shocking and spiralling gang violence in the country.

Against the backdrop of a raging conflict between Israel and Hamas and a nearly two-year war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations must further strengthen their cooperation and promote among Member States full use of the diplomatic tools and mechanisms set forth in the UN Charter to peacefully resolve conflicts, and foremost prevent them, delegates told the Security Council today.

On 20 October 2023, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2653 enacted the amendments, specified with strikethrough and/or underline, in the entry below on its Sanctions List of individuals and entities.

The Government of Somalia has made considerable progress on multiple priorities, including State-building and restoring security through the military offensive against Al-Shabaab, senior officials told the Security Council today, as members underlined the need for coordination and support for the Government as it prepared to shoulder the responsibility for its own security, amid the impending drawdown of international presence on the ground.

The Security Council today authorized the renewal for one year of the sanctions regime on Haiti, continuing a targeted arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze established in October 2022 to address the widespread violence, criminal activity and human rights abuses plaguing the country.

The Security Council today extended the authorization of measures to stop the illicit export of petroleum products from Libya and the mandate of the panel of experts helping to oversee this process.

In the aftermath of an air strike on a northern Gaza hospital that marked a sharp escalation in the ongoing Israel-Gaza crisis, the Security Council today failed to adopt a resolution put forth by Brazil that would have called for humanitarian pauses to allow full, safe and unhindered access for United Nations agencies and their partners, due to a veto cast by a permanent member of the Council, the United States.

The international community must urgently come together to secure an immediate cessation of hostilities, the unconditional release of all hostages and safe and unhindered humanitarian access, delegates heard today, during a Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, following the 7 October invasion of Israel by Hamas and a 17 October attack against the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.