The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today examined the resources required to operationalize a new institution tasked with finding the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in Syria, as several delegates raised objections to establishing and funding the mechanism approved by the General Assembly in 2023.
While South Sudan is not currently ready to hold elections later this year, they can still take place before the end of the transition period, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as speakers discussed the support necessary for that to happen amid increasing internal and external challenges.
In Abyei, the United Nations Interim Security Force there reported that they are continuing to patrol in order to protect civilians and are engaging with community leaders and local authorities to de-escalate intercommunal tensions.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Najla Nassif Palma of Brazil as Victims’ Rights Advocate for the United Nations. She succeeds Jane Connors of Australia, to whom the Secretary-General has expressed his appreciation for her service and commitment as the Organization’s first Victims’ Rights Advocate.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Yamazaki Kazuyuki (Japan):
The Security Council met this morning to discuss the situation in Syria. Briefing the Council was Adedeji Ebo, Director and Deputy to the High Representative, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs.
Lamenting the Security Council’s inability to call for a ceasefire while the entire world demands one, speakers in the General Assembly today drew attention to the mounting death toll and famine in Gaza, while Israel condemned the United Nations for collaborating with terrorists.
Adopting a presidential statement today, the Security Council stressed its ongoing determination to combat impunity and ensure that all persons indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda — including the remaining fugitives — are brought to justice.
In Zambia, where the Government has declared an emergency due to the drought, the United Nations system is supporting the Government-led response, as weather extremes, economic hardship and a cholera outbreak fuel a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
