Protecting civilians, making progress in Mali and Côte d’Ivoire and creating a special mission to monitor disarmament in Colombia had been at the centre of the Security Council’s work over the past four weeks, Elbio Rosselli (Uruguay), its President for January, said during the monthly wrap-up meeting today.
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Security Council
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Elbio Rosselli (Uruguay):
The Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities has on 29 December 2015 completed the 2014 review of names on the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions list in accordance with paragraph 42 of resolution 2083 (2012). The purpose of the review is to ensure that the list is as updated and as accurate as possible, and to confirm that listing remains appropriate. Please find below the breakdown of the names reviewed and outcomes of the review.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Elbio Rosselli (Uruguay):
The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for six months, until 31 July, and decided to increase its force levels to 888, while welcoming progress in negotiations between the island nation’s Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders on a comprehensive and durable settlement.
While security remained a paramount concern in Somalia, politics was increasingly displacing violence as a means of resolving differences, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative told the Security Council today, pressing it to provide a “powerful” basis for the United Nations and its African Union partners to contribute decisively to the country’s future.
The Security Council today extended the arms embargo, asset freeze and travel ban imposed on the Central African Republic until 31 January 2017, as well as the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the relevant Sanctions Committee through 28 February 2017.
Despite repeated calls to the Security Council and the parties to the conflict in Syria, the humanitarian community remained without access to the majority of the estimated 4.6 million people living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas, the senior United Nations humanitarian official said today during a briefing to the 15-member body.
With a relentless wave of extremist terror gripping the Middle East, Israelis and Palestinians had an opportunity to restore hope to a region torn apart by intolerance and cruelty, Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon told the Security Council today, urging it to “act now” to prevent the two-State solution from slipping away forever.
With the resumption of hostilities in Darfur marking the end of a period of relative calm, it was critical that the Government of Sudan extend its full support to the implementation of strategic United Nations priorities, peacekeeping chief Hervé Ladsous stressed today during a morning briefing to the Security Council.