Security Council

The Security Council adopted today its annual report to the General Assembly for the period 1 August 2012 to 31 July 2013.

While “slow and tortured” improvements had helped the Security Council gradually build greater transparency and efficiency, the 15-member body must urgently step up efforts to improve its working methods, including through the collective voluntary suspension of veto rights in cases involving mass atrocity crimes, speakers said today.

The Security Council today recognized the importance of strengthened cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), acknowledging the United Nations’ continued dialogue with the 57-member body in the areas of peacemaking, preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Agshin Mehdiyev (Azerbaijan):

Three weeks after the Security Council expressed alarm at the significant and rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Syria, urging all appropriate steps be taken to protect civilians, the international response on the ground remained “severely insufficient”, the top United Nations humanitarian official said today.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Agshin Mehdiyev (Azerbaijan):

On 24 October 2013, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) approved the addition of the entry specified below to its Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2083 (2012) adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Agshin Mehdiyev (Azerbaijan):

Expressing serious concern at the recent spate of attacks on peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel in Darfur, the top African Union-United Nations official there urged the Government of Sudan to do more to bring the perpetrators to justice and end restrictions on the delivery of relief assistance.

After 20 years of negative developments on the ground, the United Nations senior political official today urged taking advantage of the opening presented by resumed talks between Israel and Palestine to help resolve entrenched regional differences and achieve the long-desired vision of two States living side by side in peace and security.