In the wake of a day-long open debate on protecting civilians in armed conflict that it held on 21 May, the Security Council today adopted a resolution calling on States to respect and protect United Nations and humanitarian personnel in accordance with their obligations under international law, recalling those established 75 years ago in the Geneva Conventions of 1949.
The Security Council today unanimously adopted a presidential statement aimed at strengthening the role of African countries in addressing global security and development challenges, as speakers debated the intricate and complex dynamics between peace and development in those States and across their continent.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the United Nations Security Council debate “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Strengthening the Role of the African State in Addressing Global Security and Development Challenges”, in New York today:
The Security Council met this morning to continue its open debate that began on 21 May concerning the protection of civilians in armed conflict. The debate was held in connection with the twenty-fifth anniversary of Security Council resolution 1265 (1999), which first established the protection of civilians as a crucial issue of international peace and security, and the seventy-fifth anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
On 3 May 2024, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014) held informal consultations to consider the midterm update of the Panel of Experts, submitted in accordance with paragraph 3 of resolution 2707 (2023).
On 21 May 2024, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolution 2713 (2023) concerning Al-Shabaab approved the addition of the entries specified below to its Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the measures imposed by the Security Council and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.
Amid ongoing armed conflicts across the globe that killed at least 33,000 civilians in 2023, the international community must not only ensure compliance with international law but “full” protection for civilians, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today during its annual open debate on the matter.
Saving lives and ensuring humanitarian access in Rafah and across the Gaza Strip are urgent priorities, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today, as delegates urged Israel to stop its military offensive in Rafah.
The large-scale influx of arms and ammunition into any armed conflict raises significant concerns for peace and security, even after the conflict has ended, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as many delegates underscored that the Russian Federation — while urging Western countries to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine — has itself violated the 15-member organ’s resolutions by procuring weapons from Pyongyang and Tehran to use in the conflict.
The Security Council again failed to adopt a resolution on outer space today — following the Russian Federation’s veto of a similar text on 24 April — with members voting in the same manner that saw the defeat of a proposed amendment to that text, which was then incorporated into the draft under present consideration.
