Great Lakes region
This morning, the Security Council heard a briefing from the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Huang Xia. He said that diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern Congo – in eastern DRC, have continued to make progress, including on the disarmament of the FDLR and the work of the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus.
At the same time, Mr. Xia warned that the security and humanitarian situation in the eastern DRC continues to deteriorate, with ongoing hostilities, growing regional tensions, and the continued spread of Ebola. He stressed that the need to sustain efforts to build confidence, strengthen regional cooperation, and ensure that peace processes are more inclusive, including through the meaningful participation of women and youth groups.
Yemen
The United Nations remains deeply concerned about the ongoing military escalation in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
The UN is also alarmed by the intense hostilities across multiple front lines, particularly in Taiz, which is having a devastating humanitarian consequences for civilians, and call upon the parties to exercise restraint and prevent any further escalation. The UN continues to urge them to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and to refrain from direct attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure and take constant care to spare both civilians and the infrastructure they use.
There is no military solution to this conflict. The UN urges all parties to find a pathway to inclusive dialogue to reach a negotiated political settlement. The Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, continues his work actively.
Sudan
The Quintet on Sudan, which brings together the UN, the European Union, the League of Arab States, IGAD, and the African Union, continues its consultations with Sudanese civilian and political stakeholders, meeting with a broad platform of anti-war civilians and political forces, including entities such as the group known as Somoud in Addis Ababa. The consultations form part of the Quintet's ongoing engagement with a broad political spectrum of Sudanese political and civilian stakeholders aimed at supporting preparations for an inclusive Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led political dialogue and future political process, further consultations with policy stakeholders are planned for the coming weeks.
Building on these discussions, Pekka Haavisto, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, looks forward to the sixth consultative meeting on enhancing coordination of peace initiatives and efforts in Sudan, which he will co-host with the Swiss Confederation in Geneva. The meeting will bring together member states sponsoring major initiatives, members of the so-called Quad, neighboring regional countries, and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
Cyprus
The Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and the Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman held a meeting today in a positive atmosphere under United Nations auspices in the United Nations Protected Area.
Read the press release here
Libya
Tomorrow morning, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Hanna Tetteh will brief the Security Council on the latest political and security developments in Libya.
Watch on UN Web TV
