The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
Peacekeeping
The Security Council today decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan until 30 April 2024, unanimously adopting resolution 2726 (to be issued as document S/RES/2726 (2024)) under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Vivian van de Perre of the Netherlands as his Deputy Special Representative for Protection and Operations in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Mission there reports that after a brief lull in violence in the country, there were renewed and intense clashes on 25 February between the M23 armed group and the Congolese armed forces, west of the town of Sake in North Kivu.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Edmond Mulet of Guatemala to lead the Independent Strategic Review of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) mandated by Security Council resolution 2709 (2023).
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released a report today on how attacks on Red Sea shipping are reshaping global trade routes. Higher fuel consumption from rerouted trade could result in a 70 per cent rise in greenhouse-gas emissions for these trips, and shipping costs have skyrocketed.
The UN team in Costa Rica is presenting a “Preparedness and Response Plan for People in Transit” to partners this week, which aims to boost assistance to vulnerable refugees and migrants. Over 500,000 people entered Costa Rica from Panama in 2023 — more than double the number of those who did so in 2022.
The United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic — a landlocked country replete with dirt roads unusable due to rains for two thirds of the year — needs adequate transport and logistics resources to fulfil its mandates to protect civilians and help extend State authority across the country, the Mission Chief told the Security Council today, as members called for tighter border control to stanch the flow of weapons to armed groups there.
On a complex global landscape marred by conflict, United Nations peacekeeping remains vital for protecting civilian populations, averting festering hostilities and preventing violence, speakers stressed today as the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations held the first meeting of its 2024 session, further underscoring the need for missions to adapt to evolving threats.
Following a surge of hostilities in Ukraine over the weekend, humanitarian organizations have provided materials for emergency repairs to houses. Meanwhile, the UN and its partners are addressing the impact of oil spillage on water sources in Kharkiv after a strike on an oil storage facility in that area on 9 February.