In light of continued massacres committed by armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for the country this morning requested the Security Council to endorse and promote a more proactive stance by peacekeepers for protection of civilians.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President María Cristina Perceval (Argentina):
The Security Council today authorized the African Union to maintain deployment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) until 30 November 2015, while also amending several aspects of the sanctions regime against the strife-torn east African nation.
A top United Nations political official warned the Security Council this morning that peace arrangements in eastern Ukraine were progressing far too slowly to end the violence and tensions there, and called on all actors to work more urgently toward durable peace.
In a day-long open debate today that heard from more than 55 speakers, the Security Council considered improvements to the way it followed up on its referrals to the International Criminal Court, as well as the manner in which due process was applied in targeting sanctions.
The Security Council today adopted its annual report to the General Assembly for the period 1 August 2013 to 31 July 2014.
While piracy off the coast of Somalia was at its lowest level in years, progress was “fragile and reversible”, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs told the Security Council today, stressing that the underlying political instability and lack of alternative livelihoods in the East African country must be addressed if gains were to be sustained.
With factional fighting and massive displacement continuing in South Sudan, the top United Nations official for that country this morning urged the Security Council to move the warring parties to translate verbal commitments into peace on the ground.
The Security Council this morning this morning extended the authorization of the European Union operation in the Central African Republic until 15 March 2015.
The $5.4 billion in pledges from some 50 countries at a recent donor conference for Gaza’s reconstruction must quickly materialize into assistance on the ground, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council today.
