The decision by the Russian Federation to terminate the Black Sea Grain Initiative will strike a blow to people in need everywhere, a senior United Nations official warned the Security Council today, emphasizing that in addition to causing unconscionable death and destruction, the war in Ukraine has greatly diminished the international community’s ability to face an uncertain future.
With gang rape, sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence used as tactics of war amid rising militarization and weapons proliferation, the Security Council must close the gap between its commitments to address conflict-related sexual violence and the shocking realities for victims and survivors, delegates heard today during the 15-nation organ’s open debate on sexual violence in conflict situations.
The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) until 15 July 2024, deciding that its police and corrections unit will include up to 70 civilian and seconded personnel serving as police and corrections advisers to scale up its strategic and advisory support to the training and investigation capacities of the Haitian National Police, and that its human rights unit will include dedicated capacity to address sexual and gender-based violence including the identification of women’s protection advisers.
Calling on the Security Council to deliver justice to the people of war-torn Sudan or risk irrelevance, the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor today detailed plans to investigate alleged violations of international law emanating from Sudan’s latest conflict, as well as the serious crimes committed in Darfur two decades ago.
The intercontinental ballistic missiles being developed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea “can reach most points on Earth”, a senior United Nations official warned today, urging Pyongyang to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant resolutions adopted by the Security Council.
The United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia can make a significant contribution through the monitoring and verification of ceasefires, the Special Representative for the country told the Security Council today, as members prepare to deliberate on the Government’s request for an expansion of the Mission’s mandate, amidst positive developments in Colombia’s implementation of the Final Agreement with the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia — People’s Army (FARC-EP), and ongoing violence against ex-combatants and other marginalized groups.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Barbara Woodward (United Kingdom):
All efforts by the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to organize the next round of consultations with Syria continue to be unsuccessful, a senior official of the United Nations for disarmament affairs informed the Security Council today, underscoring yet again the urgent need for full cooperation by Damascus.
Bringing the saboteurs of the two Nord Stream undersea gas pipelines to justice will reduce international friction and help prevent future attacks on critical international infrastructure, a journalist told the Security Council today, as delegates discussed both the progress of ongoing national investigations into the incident and the role the Council should play in that regard.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
