A reported 60 Palestinians were killed on 14 May during protests at the perimeter fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, the deadliest day of violence since 2014, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council today, condemning the actions leading up to the bloodshed and calling for an independent investigation.
The recent approval of Somalia’s security transition plan by the Council of Ministers, and its endorsement by the African Union Peace and Security Council, marked a milestone in the country’s path towards assuming full responsibility for its own stability, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative told the Security Council today.
The Security Council today decided to reauthorize member States of the African Union to maintain their deployment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) until 31 July 2018, recalling also its decision to authorize the regional bloc to reduce the Mission’s troop and police personnel levels by the end of October.
A top United Nations management official today outlined the Secretary-General’s vision for a more integrated approach to conflict prevention and peacebuilding, including a proposal to merge two of the organization’s main departments, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) took up myriad peacekeeping topics.
The Security Council today stressed that the “primacy of politics” should be the hallmark of the United Nations approach to conflict resolution, with political solutions guiding the design and deployment of the Organization’s peacekeeping operations.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) took up budget proposals for two Middle East peacekeeping missions and one special political mission this morning, with Iraq’s representative voicing concern over a proposed reduction in 2018 funding for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) so soon after Iraqi forces had repulsed Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh).
Rising political temperatures between Pristina and Belgrade were threatening to derail efforts to find lasting peace in Kosovo, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General told the Security Council today.
Recounting the haunting stories of Rohingya refugees they met during a recent mission to Bangladesh and Myanmar, Security Council members today described mass rapes, attacks on children and the razing of entire villages, stressing that the visit had “awakened their collective conscience” into robust and concerted action.
SAINT GEORGE'S, Grenada, 11 May – The Pacific Regional Seminar on Decolonization concluded in Grenada today, with participants stressing that joint action would be required to address the challenges facing Non-Self-Governing Territories, especially in light of their vulnerability to natural disasters and environmental degradation.
The United Nations Forum on Forests, concluding its thirteenth session today, adopted a wide-ranging omnibus resolution aimed at spotlighting forests ‑ as well as the scope, work and funding of the various intergovernmental organs working to ensure their protection and well-being ‑ at such high-level platforms as the Economic and Social Council’s annual high-level political forum on sustainable development.
