The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Wu Haitao (China):

The recent escalation of violence in Yemen is jeopardizing the quest for a political solution to the conflict in that country and inflicting significant harm on civilians, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today.

The Security Council decided to renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) today amid encouraging developments in that country’s peace process, including the beginning of efforts to form the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on COVID-19, in New York today:

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the designation of Stephanie Turco Williams of the United States as his Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

Terrorism and violent extremism pose a significant and growing threat to peace and security in Africa and the international community must redouble its efforts to strengthen the continent’s ability to fight back, delegates in the Security Council said today as it issued a presidential statement and heard briefings by senior United Nations officials.

Humanitarian conditions in Mali continue to deteriorate due to violence, particularly in the north, east and central regions, the Humanitarian Affairs Office reports.  As of 11 March, some 86,000 people have been displaced in the Mopti region since 2018, bringing the number of displaced to 218,500 across Mali.

Speakers praised and called for more details about the roll-out of a new framework for assigning senior managers greater authority to make decisions and hold their staff accountable for results, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met to review the efficiency of that system in the United Nations Secretariat.

The General Assembly today decided to postpone the fourth session of the intergovernmental conference to draft a new global instrument on biodiversity in ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction, citing concerns over the coronavirus disease, COVID-19.

The Security Council welcomed the significant steps taken towards ending the war in Afghanistan and opening the door to intra-Afghan negotiations enabled by the recent peace agreement signed by the United States and the Taliban.