Europe

The United Nations Mission Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization in the Central African Republic announced today a plan to dedicate about $3 million to finance quick-impact projects intended to support the reconciliation, political process and peace process, improve security and help restore State authority.

Bringing the saboteurs of the two Nord Stream undersea gas pipelines to justice will reduce international friction and help prevent future attacks on critical international infrastructure, a journalist told the Security Council today, as delegates discussed both the progress of ongoing national investigations into the incident and the role the Council should play in that regard.

In Sudan, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners are increasing their response to the current crisis. With food insecurity expected to surge to record levels, affecting two fifths of the population, the World Food Programme plans to scale up emergency assistance to some 4.9 million people in the coming months.

Addressing the Security Council today with “a call for an immediate quest for peace”, the Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) stressed that, while a terrible battle rages in Europe, war is neither a necessity nor destiny, as he outlined the regional group’s focus for 2023.

Despite heightened tensions, the “Agreement on the path to normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia”, reached in Ohrid, North Macedonia in March, marks a historic milestone, the Security Council heard today, as senior representatives from Pristina and Belgrade offered countering perspectives on the drivers of regional insecurity.

The Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) today condemned the arson incident against the Saint Pantelija Orthodox Church in Prizren, which took place earlier this week. She noted that attacks against religious and cultural sites undermine interethnic and interreligious relations.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

Warning of a “deficit in multilateralism”, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief told Security Council today that the proliferation of conflicts and problems around the world are mounting as the collective capacity to find solutions declines.

With the general elections now behind, it is up to the political leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement much-needed reforms, members of the Security Council spoke today as the 15-nation organ extended the mandate of the European Union-led stabilization force in the Western Balkan nation for another year.

Following is the text of UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ video message for the European Union Sustainable Investment Summit, in Brussels today: