The Security Council today recognized the progress made in Darfur since 2007 to advance peace and security, following the complete drawdown of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) on 30 June, as it looked forward to receiving an assessment of lessons learned from the experience no later than 31 October.
In a landmark decision, the General Assembly established today a 10‑member subsidiary organ that will serve as a standing forum to hear the voices of people of African descent and help eliminate all forms of discrimination against them.
The intergovernmental Preparatory Committee for the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries concluded its second session today, after a week of negotiations on a new 10-year road map for sustainable development of these vulnerable States.
The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for six months — until 31 January 2022 — expressing serious concern over violations of the military status quo along the ceasefire lines, reported encroachment by both sides into the buffer zone and increase in unauthorized construction — all of which pose challenges to the Force’s operations.
The Security Council today adopted a resolution extending for one year its arms embargo on the Central African Republic — as well as a travel ban and assets freeze imposed on certain individuals and entities, as designated by its sanctions committee — and renewing for 13 months the mandate of the Panel of Experts tasked with assisting that body.
The General Assembly, acting without a vote, adopted two resolutions and three decisions today after debating the annual report on the Peacebuilding Commission and Peacebuilding Fund. Meanwhile, consideration of a draft resolution to establish a Permanent Forum of People of African Descent was rolled back to a later date.
Africa needs more support on its path to growth, speakers said today, as the 193-member General Assembly examined efforts by the United Nations to help Africa fight malaria while pursuing durable peace and sustainable development.
While the global community should prioritize its support for Gaza’s reconstruction in the wake of the violence that erupted there in May, a senior United Nations official also urged the Security Council not to “lose sight of the broader goal” — namely, ending the Israeli occupation and realizing a two-State solution — as she briefed the organ during its quarterly open debate on the Middle East today.
The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) completed the withdrawal of all uniformed and civilian personnel by its deadline of 30 June 2021, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare told the Security Council today, achieving a milestone set by the 15-member organ for the Mission’s exit and empowering Sudan’s Government to take charge of maintaining peace in the region.
The second session of the intergovernmental Preparatory Committee for the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries opened at Headquarters today with delegates — mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 on the world’s poorest nations as they struggle to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals — aiming to finalize a draft programme of action for when the Conference takes place in Doha, Qatar, on 23 to 27 January 2022.
The Security Council condemned today the 20 July announcement by Turkish and Turkish Cypriot leaders on the further reopening of a part of the fenced-off Varosha area in Cyprus, calling for the immediate reversal of that course of action and for the reversal of all steps taken on Varosha since October 2020.
The General Assembly adopted two draft resolutions today aimed at ensuring global access to eye care and combat illicit trafficking in wildlife, as delegates called for international solidarity to capitalize on the connection between proper eye care and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and to address the link between wildlife trafficking and financial crime that hinders realization of those development objectives.
The Economic and Social Council opened its 2022 session today with its incoming President emphasizing the critical role that it must play in guiding the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and mobilizing international solidarity to achieve the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Economic and Social Council continued its 2021 Management Segment today, adopting 12 resolutions, nine decisions and three recommendations — as well as several texts to be forwarded to the General Assembly — recommended by subsidiary bodies working on issues ranging from the global HIV/AIDS response to crime prevention to science and technology for development, much of which was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Security Council today rejected a draft resolution that would end the powers and close the Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, effective 31 July 2022, as progress had been achieved.
The Economic and Social Council opened its 2021 Management Segment today with the adoption of four draft resolutions and six draft decisions, all but two of them without a vote, including a draft resolution that cast a spotlight on the complex challenges facing Haiti in the wake of the 7 July assassination of its President Jovenel Moïse, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The General Assembly adopted two resolutions today pertaining to an upcoming high-level meeting on global road safety and to countering hate speech through the promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, respectively, as delegates debated a draft amendment to the former resolution and sparred over the appropriate way to determine which non-governmental organizations will be able to participate in the 2022 high-level meeting.
Today’s unprecedented global need for humanitarian assistance — in concert with escalating violence against those providing it — requires robust action by the Security Council, experts told the 15-member organ today, as delegates grappled with a shrinking space for aid delivery fuelled by persistent disregard of its resolutions around the globe.
The Economic and Social Council concluded its high-level segment today, endorsing a sweeping Ministerial Declaration adopted a day earlier by the high‑level political forum on sustainable development — an outcome document reflecting Member States’ commitments to overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic and building back better through green, inclusive recovery plans.
The Security Council stressed today the importance of free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya, scheduled for 24 December, urging Libyan authorities and institutions to clarify the constitutional basis for the polls, in a presidential statement adopted at the end of a ministerial-level meeting on restoring peace and stability in the North African nation.
