Amid growing fears of an all out war in the Middle East following recent days’ escalation and exchange of hostilities, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today reiterated his appeals for a ceasefire in Gaza, a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and an end to the violence in the region during another Security Council emergency meeting.
The partnership between the United Nations and African Union has never been more critical, several senior officials told the Security Council today, as they laid out the myriad challenges facing the continent from the world’s largest forced displacement crisis and numerous instances of political instability to territorial disputes and climate-change-driven insecurity.
The Security Council’s programme in October will feature two regular open debates and one signature event, alongside five important mandate renewals, its President for the month said at a Headquarters press conference today.
The Security Council today renewed its authorization for the deployment of a Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti for another 12 months, as several speakers called for the Mission’s transformation into a United Nations peacekeeping operation to boost its capabilities and secure more stable funding.
The Security Council debated the legacy and the future of the European Union Naval Force military operation in the Mediterranean (Operation IRINI) today following the expiry of its authorization for Member States to intercept ships suspected of smuggling migrants on the high seas off Libya.
Spotlighting a marked reduction in fighting between Rwandan and Congolese forces following a recent ceasefire agreement, the Head of the Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo called for Member States’ continued engagement in peacebuilding efforts, amid the Mission’s phased withdrawal and a still tenuous security situation.
Convening two days after its emergency meeting on Lebanon, the Security Council deliberated on the situation in the Middle East, particularly Gaza, and heard from over 25 speakers, including the Secretary-General, who again urged the sharply divided Council to unite and support an immediate ceasefire leading to the creation of a Palestinian State. (For background, see Press Release SC/15834.)
On 27 September 2024, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2653 (2022) approved the addition of the entry 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.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council briefing on Gaza, in New York today:
The Security Council this evening concluded its open debate on “Leadership for peace: united in respect of the UN Charter, in search of a secure future”.
