Middle East

The United Nations migration agency said today that it assisted more than 72,000 migrants to return home voluntarily in 2017.  This represents a 27 per cent decrease compared to 2016, when some 98,000 migrants were provided with return and reintegration support.

The Security Council today renewed the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) for six months until 31 December, adding that there should be no military activity of any kind in the area of separation between Israel and Syria, including Syrian military operations and those conducted by armed opposition groups.

On its concluding day, the International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem focused on two issues:  challenges faced by Palestinian youth in East Jerusalem, including in the realms of education, employment and entrepreneurship; and the international community’s support for Palestinian rights in the city.

The fifth International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem opened in Rabat, Morocco, on 26 June with a call by King Mohamed VI of Morocco and Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee for a greater rallying of diplomatic efforts to secure binding international resolutions that protected the city and safeguarded its spiritual, cultural and legal character.

On the second day of the International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem participants discussed the political status of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the question of Jerusalem in international law and the obligations of Member States.

UNHCR today released a report that shows a widening gap between the number of refugees in need of resettlement and the places available for them around the world.  It projects that some 1.4 million refugees will need a resettlement country in 2019, but the number of available resettlement places has dropped to just 75,000.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council on the maintenance of international peace and security:  comprehensive review of the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, in New York today:

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly, will convene, with the support of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem from 26 to 28 June in Rabat, Morocco.

Given the iconic nature of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the interconnected nature of disputes throughout the region, creating the conditions for the parties to return to meaningful bilateral negotiations remained critical, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council today.

The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process briefed the Security Council this morning and said that settlement activity has continued in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  He reiterated that all settlement activity is illegal under international law.