Often perceived as overstretched and under siege, United Nations peacekeeping was at a crossroads, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council today, pressing it to keep operations relevant by providing clear mandates with well-identified priorities, adequate sequencing and the flexibility to evolve.
Despite progress since the 2015 signing of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, significant challenges — such as the accelerated activities of terrorists and the transnational networks funding them — continued to require international support, including possible changes to the United Nations operation there, the Organization’s new peacekeeping chief told the Security Council today.
While the first phase in implementing Colombia’s recently signed Peace Agreement between the Government and guerrilla fighters remained largely on track, the “relatively short window of opportunity” to build a solid foundation for peace required consistent vigilance, the senior United Nations official in that country said in a briefing to the Security Council today.
The reported use of chemical weapons in north-western Syria, if confirmed, would constitute the largest single such attack in that war-torn country since 2013, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs told the Security Council today, as members weighed a draft resolution to be tabled by France, United Kingdom and the United States.
Against the backdrop of significant security progress and improved cooperation with the Government of Sudan, the United Nations and the African Union should consider amending the mandate of their joint peacekeeping Operation in Darfur, stressed the head of that mission today as he briefed the Security Council on recent developments.
The Security Council strongly condemned violence by armed groups in the Central African Republic today, expressing particular concern over ongoing clashes around Bambari in Ouaka prefecture and Bakouma in Mbomou prefecture.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Nikki Haley (United States):
The Security Council would hold two thematic debates, including — for the first time — one on the role of human rights in the maintenance of international peace and security, said Nikki Haley (United States), its President for April, at a Headquarters press conference today.
The Security Council renewed the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) this morning, extending it until 31 March 2018 while reducing the operation’s troop ceiling by some 3,600 military personnel.
The Security Council adopted its first resolution addressing Boko Haram’s presence in the Lake Chad Basin today, expressing concern about the protection needs of civilians affected by terrorism, including those resulting from sexual exploitation and abuse, extra-judicial killings and torture.
