Security Council

Alarmed at the volatility and human rights situation in Libya, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative there cautioned today that the country risked a return to wide-spread conflict.

Given their intrinsic link to peace and security, the Security Council must take human rights into account in all its deliberations, the Secretary-General said today, as the Council held its first-ever thematic debate on that issue.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Nikki Haley (United States):

The Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) for a final six months today, deciding to replace it with a follow-up peacekeeping mission that would help the Government of Haiti strengthen rule-of-law institutions, further develop and support the Haitian National Police and engage in human rights monitoring, reporting and analysis.

In light of the threat posed by Al-Shabaab, drought and the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the Security Council Committee on sanctions in Eritrea and Somalia announced a possible future visit to the Horn of Africa today, as members expressed diverging views on arms embargoes imposed on those countries.

The Security Council today rejected a draft resolution that would have condemned the reported chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Khan Shaykhun and expressed its determination to hold the perpetrators accountable.

On 7 April 2017, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan held informal consultations to consider a quarterly update and a work plan presented by its Panel of Experts.

Africa’s Great Lakes region — having made some progress in implementing its 2013 Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework — still faced critical challenges, including the re-emergence of violent non-State armed groups, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy told the Security Council during a briefing today.

The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Syria said today that, in the wake of the chemical attack on civilians in that country, there was an opportunity to redouble efforts for a political settlement of a conflict that could have no definitive military outcome.

Building on political progress and a relatively stable security situation, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) should prepare to drawdown over the next six months and transition into a smaller peacekeeping operation focused on strengthening the rule of law, institutions and the national police force, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General told the Security Council today.