Security Council

Affirming that the entrenchment of terrorist and criminal groups in northern Mali posed an urgent threat to that region and the entire international community, the Security Council today authorized the deployment of an African-led mission to support efforts by national authorities to recover the north.

In an open debate on post-conflict peacebuilding today, the Security Council emphasized the importance of inclusivity in advancing nationally owned and led processes and ensuring that the needs of all segments of society were taken into account and best served by an integrated approach based on coherence among political, security, development, human rights, rule of law and justice activities.

On 20 December 2012, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1737 (2006) decided to designate the following two entities under sanctions:

As the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) neared its 31 December 2012 completion, the Security Council this morning commended the country for the “remarkable achievements” of the past decade, underscoring the importance of continued support to the fledgling nation as it embarked on the next stage of its development.

While Afghanistan had made progress “unthinkable a decade ago”, the challenges and tragedies that remained required both the Government and its international partners to follow through firmly on commitments made in recent international conferences, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative told the Security Council this afternoon.

As 2012 drew to a close, momentum was slipping for a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and tensions on the ground were worsening after the upgrade of Palestinian status in the General Assembly last month, the United Nations political affairs chief told the Security Council today, calling on all stakeholders to put bitterness aside to focus on the hard, practical work of forging an agreement in the year ahead.

The Security Council this morning extended until 30 June 2013 the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which monitors the ceasefire in the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria, expressing grave concern at recent violations by the Syrian Armed Forces in the mission’s area of operations.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Mohammed Loulichki (Morocco):

Strongly condemning ongoing attacks and atrocities carried out in Central Africa by the Lord’s Resistance Army rebel group, the Security Council this afternoon urged swift implementation of United Nations and African Union strategies to address the threat through cooperation of all countries, organizations and peacekeeping operations in the region.

On 19 December 2012, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) enacted the amendments specified with strikethrough and underline in the entry below to its List (the 1988 List) of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2082 (2012) adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.