Despite progress since the 2015 signing of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, significant challenges — such as the accelerated activities of terrorists and the transnational networks funding them — continued to require international support, including possible changes to the United Nations operation there, the Organization’s new peacekeeping chief told the Security Council today.
Countries must understand and sufficiently address the inextricable link between sexual and reproductive health and socioeconomic advancement, speakers said today, as the Commission on Population and Development concluded its general debate.
The reported use of chemical weapons in north-western Syria, if confirmed, would constitute the largest single such attack in that war-torn country since 2013, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs told the Security Council today, as members weighed a draft resolution to be tabled by France, United Kingdom and the United States.
While the first phase in implementing Colombia’s recently signed Peace Agreement between the Government and guerrilla fighters remained largely on track, the “relatively short window of opportunity” to build a solid foundation for peace required consistent vigilance, the senior United Nations official in that country said in a briefing to the Security Council today.
The “clock is ticking” with no time to waste in forging strong public-private partnerships to stave off grave climate change consequences by using innovative solutions to build resilient communities and reach those most in need, the Economic and Social Council heard today.
Speakers addressed the challenges of coping with refugee and migration flows and their impact on a country’s demographic makeup, as the Commission on Population and Development continued its annual session today.
The Security Council strongly condemned violence by armed groups in the Central African Republic today, expressing particular concern over ongoing clashes around Bambari in Ouaka prefecture and Bakouma in Mbomou prefecture.
Negotiations on a legally binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons should breathe new life into the work of the Disarmament Commission, speakers said today as that panel concluded the general debate portion of its annual substantive session.
Timely investment could turn the challenge of dealing with an ageing population in developed countries and a youth surge in Africa into unprecedented opportunity for growth, the Commission on Population and Development heard today as it continued its annual session.
Against the backdrop of significant security progress and improved cooperation with the Government of Sudan, the United Nations and the African Union should consider amending the mandate of their joint peacekeeping Operation in Darfur, stressed the head of that mission today as he briefed the Security Council on recent developments.
