Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council open debate on advancing political solutions in the Middle East: Mediation for Dialogue and Lasting Peace, in New York today:
While Central African countries have achieved several important governance milestones, those strides have unfolded against a “troubling backdrop” marked by relentless terrorist attacks, mass population displacement and increasing restrictions on civil and political rights, a senior political and peacebuilding official warned the Security Council today.
The Security Council’s permanent members remained split today over whether UN sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear programme are still in force, as Liberia — one of the Council’s 10 elected members — called for the establishment of a Secretariat-led temporary reporting mechanism to address what it described as an oversight gap.
The war in Ukraine is deadlier today than at any point since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in 2022, top UN officials warned the Security Council today, as Council members repeatedly stressed “enough is enough” and pleaded for an immediate ceasefire and a return to diplomacy.
Despite surface stability in Afghanistan, the lives of its people are increasingly restricted, a senior UN official in that country said, as she urged the international community to stay engaged over the long term, even if progress is slow, frustrating or uneven.
In a year marked by global instability and proliferating conflicts, the Security Council made modest progress in meeting the world’s growing demand for action that is more coherent and less hamstrung by political divisions, the General Assembly heard today, as members considered the Council’s report on its work in 2025.
