The Security Council today decided to renew, for a period of 12 months, its prior authorization allowing Member States to inspect vessels on the high seas off Libya’s coast, when there are reasonable grounds to believe they are participating in acts of migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today that more than 11,600 children crossed the Central Mediterranean Sea to Italy without a parent or legal guardian. That’s between January and mid-September 2023. This is an increase of 60 per cent compared to the same period last year.
On the situation in the Caucasus, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it’s deeply concerned about the rapidly increasing number of refugees fleeing into Armenia, with long queues reported at the border.
The Mediterranean remains a perilous route for a swelling number of migrants and asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, Security Council members said today, as they discussed the situation in the high seas off Libya ahead of a decision to renew resolution 2240 (2015), which authorizes States and regional groups to inspect and seize vessels in that area suspected of being used for migrant smuggling or human trafficking.
The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide expressed concern over the ongoing situation in the South Caucasus, in which it is reported that tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians have left the area for Armenia in the span of just a few days. All efforts must be made to ensure their protection and human rights.
At a 21 September high-level meeting, co-hosted by Jordan and Sweden in support of Palestine Refugees, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as well as Member States, reaffirmed their strong political support for the Agency.
On 18 August 2023, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya held informal consultations to consider the final report of the Panel of Experts on Libya, submitted in accordance with paragraph 13 of resolution 2644 (2022).
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today released a report showing that halfway into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a lot of the progress made towards its food- and agriculture-related targets has stagnated or reversed.
The head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said today that the tragedy in Libya highlights the devastating consequences of extreme weather on fragile States. A new multi-agency report, coordinated by WMO, systematically examines the impact of climate change on the Sustainable Development Goals.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
