The Security Council will turn to technology in April to tackle the humanitarian crises in Yemen and Syria, address conflict-induced hunger, promote the youth, peace and security agenda, and respond to the threat of COVID-19, its President for the month said today.
Political uncertainty, delays in the start of the peace process, increasing violence and the imminent full force of the COVID-19 pandemic make this a critical time for Afghanistan as it struggles to emerge from decades of conflict, the Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told the Security Council in a videoconference meeting on 31 March.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President José Singer Weisinger (Dominican Republic):
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is sending equipment to more than 40 countries to help them use nuclear-derived technology to rapidly detect COVID‑19. Dozens of labs will receive diagnostic machines to speed up national testing, biosafety supplies and personal protection equipment.
With 10 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Syria, including one death, the virus could have potentially devastating consequences for vulnerable communities across the country, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council in a videoconference meeting on 30 March 2020.
While Israeli and Palestinian authorities have shown exemplary cooperation in protecting their populations from the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no clear signs indicating a return to sorely needed negotiations towards a two-State solution, the Secretary-General’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council, which met via videoconference on 30 March 2020.
Emphasizing the importance of enhancing the safety and security of United Nations peacekeepers, the Security Council requested on 30 March 2020 that Member States which host peacekeeping missions fulfil their obligations to facilitate access and freedom of movement for the “blue helmets”, including casualty and medical evacuation.
On 30 March 2020, the Security Council decided unanimously that the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) will maintain its current troop and police ceilings until 31 May 2020.
The Security Council decided unanimously on 30 March 2020 to extend the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) until 30 June 2020.
On 30 March 2020, the Security Council extended until 30 April 2021 the mandate of the panel of experts assisting the committee overseeing sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
