Security Council

Despite continuing tensions on the ground, preparatory meetings in Jordan between the Israelis and Palestinians presented an important opportunity for lasting peace that must be seized, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, ahead of a day-long debate involving some 45 speakers.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Baso Sangqu (South Africa):

The Security Council this morning decided that an election to fill the vacancy on the International Court of Justice, created by the recent resignation of Judge Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh, will take place on 27 April 2012. Resolution 2034 (2012), adopted unanimously, notes with regret that the resignation of Judge Al-Khasawneh took effect on 31 December 2011.

Emphasizing the importance of the rule of law as one of the key elements of conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, the Security Council today pledged its commitment to upholding international law, and reaffirmed its strong opposition to exempting from punishment those responsible for committing serious violations of humanitarian and human rights norms.

The situation in West Africa had taken a turn “in the right direction”, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the subregion told the Security Council today, noting that a cessation of “open conflict” and tensions tied to institutional political unrest had, in some countries, resulted in credible elections.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Baso Sangqu (South Africa):

Following a high-level meeting of the Security Council that underscored the imperative to assist countries and shattered communities to turn the page of violence and conflict — including in Africa where much of the attention was focused — and consolidate peace where it had been achieved, the 15-member body today committed to taking “effective steps” to enhance the relationship between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations, particularly the African Union.

In a year characterized by mass protests and other challenges to entrenched leadership that frequently provoked violent reactions, the Security Council continued in 2011 to grapple with the question of protecting civilians in a manner consistent with the United Nations Charter, as the 15-member body remained seized of a wide range of conflicts, the birth of South Sudan, the Palestinian application for membership in the Organization and other developments.

On Wednesday, 11 January, the Security Council received a briefing from Lynn Pascoe, Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, and Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union, on the situation in Somalia, including a briefing on the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Initial steps taken by parties to the most recent peace accord for Sudan’s Darfur region — the so-called Doha Document — provided “reason for optimism” and should be supported by the Security Council, the top peacekeeping official told the 15-member body this morning.