One week ahead of the one-year mark of the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, the Security Council met today to discuss the collapse of the Minsk agreements, with several delegates noting that what was once intended to be a blueprint for the 2014 crisis has turned into Moscow’s leverage to limit the sovereignty of Ukraine.
Encouraging deeper collaboration and constructive dialogue to expedite the end of colonialism, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said ensuring the aspirational needs of small island territories under the purview of the Special Committee on Decolonization are met is a global responsibility.
The Security Council, acting unanimously today, decided to renew for nine months a travel ban and assets freeze imposed on specific individuals and entities in Yemen, while extending for 10 months the mandate of the Panel of Experts tasked with assisting their Yemen sanctions committee.
The Commission for Social Development, acting by consensus on the final day of its sixty-first session, decided to forward four draft resolutions to the Economic and Social Council for adoption — including one focused on creating full employment and decent work for all to overcome inequalities and accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speakers warned the international community that tensions are deepening as coastlines vanish, territories are lost, resources become scarce and masses are displaced, as the Security Council held its first ever open debate today on the impact of sea-level rise on international peace and security.
Detailing the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts on the employment market, delegates outlined strategies to overcome inequalities within and between countries and to provide decent work opportunities for all.
With cycles of conflict becoming more intense, frequent and complex, the global community must prioritize risk assessments that raise red flags about potential violence against children, senior officials told the Security Council today, as members took stock of progress made in implementing their “children in armed conflict” agenda.
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations concluded the first part of its 2023 session today, which began on 23 January, approving its report as orally revised, and having recommended 214 organizations for consultative status and taken note of 543 quadrennial reports.
As the Commission for Social Development continued its general discussion today, delegates explored ways to overcome multiple crises — including the COVID-19 pandemic, rising conflicts and climate change — that have exacerbated existing inequalities between and within nations.
Despite international efforts to defeat Da’esh, the group still poses a considerable threat in many parts of the world, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today, as members stressed the need to complement the relatively blunt instrument of force with more nuanced, context-specific approaches to remedy socioeconomic inequalities in countries awash with terrorism.
