On Thursday morning, 12 December, the Secretary-General travelled from South Africa to Lesotho.

The Secretary-General arrived in South Africa from New York on Wednesday, 11 December. In Johannesburg, he attended a meeting of the G20 [Group of 20] sherpas and finance deputies. He delivered remarks before heading to Pretoria.

Ongoing conflict in Rakhine has driven an estimated 360,000 people out of their homes, bringing the total number of displaced there to nearly 570,000. This is part of a broader crisis unfolding across Myanmar, displacing more than 3.5 million people — an increase of 1.5 million people compared to a year ago.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Linda Thomas-Greenfield (United States):

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Elinor Jane Britt Hammarskjöld of Sweden as Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel. She succeeds Miguel de Serpa Soares of Portugal, to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful for his dedicated service and long-standing commitment to the Organization.

Meeting again today to discuss Western arms supplies to Ukraine, the Security Council heard that civilians there continue to be killed and injured by a panoply of deadly munitions, while the organ’s members alternately urged a diplomatic end to the violence and condemned Moscow’s initial — and continued — aggression.

The Security Council today renewed the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan for six months until 30 June 2025 and requested the Secretary-General to ensure that the Force has the required capacity and resources to fulfil its mandate “in a safe and secure way”.

On 20 December 2024, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) removed the following entry from its Sanctions List of individuals and entities.

In a region grappling with escalating threats due to violent non-State actors, civic restrictions, political transitions and heightened humanitarian needs, the head of UN efforts in West Africa and the Sahel called on the Security Council for scaled up support within regional frameworks, as speakers welcomed more signs of progress on the democratic front.

The Security Council today extended for one year the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), expressing grave concern over the ongoing offensive by the 23 March Movement (M23) in North Kivu, in violation of the ceasefire, and the unauthorized presence of external forces from a neighbouring State in the eastern part of the country.