The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreed in 2015 lays out the rules for monitoring Iran’s domestic nuclear programme and paved the way for US sanctions to be lifted. It was agreed by Iran, the five permanent members of the Council (China, France, Russia the United Kingdom and the...
The discussions at the international anti-corruption conference, convened in Atlanta by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), held between 11 and 15 December, built on the ground-breaking Global Report on Corruption in Sport, produced by the UNODC in 2021, which pointed to a dramatic increase in illegal betting, fuelled by the...
Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, was briefing a meeting of the Security Council, which also coincided with the 32nd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. “I would like to congratulate the Ukrainian people today and take this occasion to stress, once again, that the UN’s commitment to Ukraine’s...
Cities and towns have become the drivers of economic growth and now account for more than 80 per cent of global GDP. Yet, in 2020, over one billion inhabitants of urban areas were still living in slums or informal settlements, predominantly in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. As urban populations grow,...
Briefing the Security Council on the state of the JCPOA, Ms. DiCarlo set the tone for the discussion by stating, “diplomacy is the only way to effectively address the Iranian nuclear issue.” The 2015 deal sets out rules for monitoring Iran’s nuclear programme and paves the way for the lifting of...
“So far, the ceasefire between the M23 and the FARDC has held up relatively well and has contributed to some security gains”, said UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee. “The relative calm in Rutshuru territory, for example, allowed more than 45,000 people from the Bishusha group to return home”, she...
“Whilst many challenges and risks lie ahead, there are also many opportunities, and I urge all international partners to lean in and provide additional support to the people,” said the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia Catriona Laing. Regarding current security conditions, Ms. Laing, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission...
Climate shocks are triggering worsening security environments, from Afghanistan to Mali, and UN peacekeeping missions are taking steps to adapt, from reducing their carbon footprint to addressing myriad related consequences. “Given the growing linkages of climate change, peace, and security as well as the broader changes to the conflict dynamics...
Ambassadors met to examine the Council’s efforts towards building trust that leads to sustainable peace, in light of current and emerging threats. “Full compliance with human rights is the best antidote to the inequalities, unaddressed grievances and exclusion which are often at the root of instability and conflict,” said Mr....
The region is plagued by violence emanating largely from multiple armed groups, including the rebel M23 force, which has been fighting a major campaign against Government troops, who are backed by the UN mission there known by its French acronym, MONUSCO, as part if its vital protection-of-civilians mandate. Hundreds of...
El-Ghassim Wane, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in Mali, MINUSMA, briefed the Security Council on major developments in the West African country over the past three months. MINUSMA was established a decade ago following insecurity in the north and a failed military coup, which...
“Emanating from any arms transfer is the inherent risk of diversion of the equipment to unauthorized end users,” said Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. Addressing the Council during the first open meeting of Russia’s month-long presidency – and during which many delegates referenced the ongoing conflict in...