The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Ferit Hoxha (Albania):

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, in connection with the examination of the third report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Nigeria (document S/2022/596), agreed to convey the following messages through a public statement by the Chair of the Working Group:

The Security Council today decided to renew, for a period of 12 months, its prior authorization allowing Member States to inspect vessels on the high seas off Libya’s coast, when there are reasonable grounds to believe they are participating in acts of migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) opened its seventy-eighth session today, with delegates emphasizing that progress towards inclusive and sustained development has been stymied by a myriad of factors, including increasing inequalities, economic volatilities, global conflicts and climate change.

The Mediterranean remains a perilous route for a swelling number of migrants and asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, Security Council members said today, as they discussed the situation in the high seas off Libya ahead of a decision to renew resolution 2240 (2015), which authorizes States and regional groups to inspect and seize vessels in that area suspected of being used for migrant smuggling or human trafficking.

On the situation in the Caucasus, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it’s deeply concerned about the rapidly increasing number of refugees fleeing into Armenia, with long queues reported at the border.

Armed groups’ activities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to pose security challenges and exacerbate a humanitarian situation, with 6 million people displaced, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today as she called on regional stakeholders to support the Nairobi and Luanda processes and ensure the protection of civilians.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) elected Mathu Joyini (South Africa) Chair on 1 June.

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) elected Alexander Marschik (Austria) Chair on 1 June.