The Security Council today expressed deep concern at recent incidents across the Blue Line and in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) area of operations, underlining that such events could lead to a new conflict that “none of the parties — or the region — can afford” and urging all parties to abide “scrupulously” by their obligation to respect the Force’s safety.
During a mission to Africa last week, the Security Council held wide-ranging exchanges with key stakeholders in the peace processes in the Central African Republic and Burundi, witnessing progress and challenges on the ground, and discussed ways of bolstering the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union to ensure broader stability and development in the continent.
After months of political deadlock, Haiti’s holding of free, transparent and inclusive elections this year in “an atmosphere of calm” was an essential condition for achieving stability, democratic governance and development, the top United Nations official there told the Security Council today, as delegates debated plans to reduce the United Nations peacekeeping presence in the Caribbean nation.
SENDAI, JAPAN, 18 March — Death and destruction from earthquakes, extreme weather and other hazards around the world would be decreased significantly by 2030 according to goals set today by countries meeting at the Third World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction, which closed this evening in Sendai, Japan.
All people — no matter who they are — must benefit from development and be given opportunities to contribute to its design, implementation and monitoring, the Commission on the Status of Women heard today, concluding its general debate and addressing the impact of discrimination on marginalized women and girls.
SENDAI, JAPAN, 17 March — Public investment had substantial strategic, operational and tactical benefits for disaster risk reduction, as it could increase resilience, save lives and accelerate recovery of devastated homes, institutions and infrastructure, the Sendai World Conference heard today during its fifth and final ministerial round table.
Gender-sensitive, disaggregated data must be an integral part of the post-2015 sustainable development agenda and no longer treated as an “afterthought”, the Commission on the Status of Women heard today as statistical experts took centre stage.
Over the last year, the situation in Darfur had “deteriorated significantly”, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations told the Security Council today, urging the 15-member body and the African Union to step up pressure on parties to start direct negotiations towards ceasing hostilities — the first step on a path to lasting peace in the restive Sudanese region.
Welcoming the completion of the transition process in Afghanistan and the launch of its 2015-2024 Transformation Decade, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in that country (UNAMA) for another year, until 17 March 2016, until and decided that it and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative would continue to lead and coordinate international civilian efforts on achieving established priorities.
While some advances had been made for women, true change would require the participation of men and boys to challenge dynamics at the personal and professional levels, the Commission on the Status of Women heard today.
