Peace and Security

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi (l) walks through the battle-scarred streets of Douma, in Syria's Eastern Ghouta suburb.
© UNHCR/Bassam Diab

FROM THE FIELD: Living a life in the ruins of Syria

31 August 2018
Middle East

Many people in Syria are trying to lead “a normal life amidst the ruins” of their country devastated by years of conflict; that’s according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, who visited the Syrian city of Douma this week.

UNIFIL peacekeeping troops patrol along the Blue Line near the town of El Adeisse in southern Lebanon. (file)
UN Photo/Pasqual Gorriz

Security Council extends mandate of UN Interim Force in Lebanon for a year

30 August 2018
Middle East

In a unanimous action, the United Nations Security Council extended the mandate of the Organization’s peacekeeping mission in Lebanon until 31 August next year.

José Viegas Filho, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau, briefs the Security Council on the situation in the country.
UN Photo/Manuel Elías

Guinea-Bissau: Upcoming elections vital to prevent ‘relapse’ into instability, says UN envoy

30 August 2018
Africa

Highlighting the importance of the upcoming legislative elections in Guinea-Bissau, the top United Nations official in the country reiterated the importance of “far-reaching” reforms to prevent a relapse into political and institutional instability.

Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the Security Council meeting on the maintenance of international peace and security, with a focus on mediation and settlement of disputes.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

As conflicts become more complex, ‘mediation is no longer an option; it is a necessity’, UN chief tells Security Council

29 August 2018
Global

As war and the mediation of peace have become increasingly complex, innovative thinking is needed to save and improve the lives of millions, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday.

A nuclear test is carried out on an island in French Polynesia in 1971.
CTBTO

Nuclear test ban treaty critical to global collective security – UN chief

29 August 2018
Global

Every effort should be made to bring a global treaty into force that prevents more countries from developing nuclear weapons, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said.

Security Council Considers Situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo
UN/Loey Felipe

Respect for fundamental rights and freedoms key for peaceful polls in DRC – UN mission chief

27 August 2018
Africa

Confidence and consensus around key issues are still required ahead of this year’s presidential and legislative elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Security Council heard on Monday.

MINUSCA, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), on patrol in the capital Bangui.
UN Photo/Catianne Tijerina

UN condemns attack that leaves one ‘blue helmet’ dead in Central African Republic

25 August 2018
Africa

Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the attack on 23 August by presumed anti-Balaka elements on the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in which one peacekeeper from Burundi was killed.

Election officials in Mali prepare materials for the second round of the presidential elections on the day of the vote at a polling station in the Banaconi district in Bamako.
MINUSMA/Harandane Dicko

UN Security Council welcomes results of Mali's presidential elections

24 August 2018
Africa

The members of the Security Council on Friday welcomed the publication of the final results of the presidential polls in Mali, which saw the re-election of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, and insisted on the urgent need to accelerate the implementation of the peace agreement.

The Nigerien army patrols the Sahara desert targetting militant groups including ISIL and Boko Haram.
© UNICEF/Gilbertson V

ISIL continues to pose a ‘serious challenge’ worldwide – UN counter-terror chief

23 August 2018
Global

Despite serious military setbacks, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) may still have around 20,000 fighters and is continuing its dangerous transformation into a covert global network, while focusing on the activities of its regional offshoots, the United Nations Security Council was told.

Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefs the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Humanitarian aid in Middle East should not be held hostage to politics – UN political chief

22 August 2018
Middle East

Recurring cycles of violence in the Middle East highlight the need for international efforts to prevent hostilities, provide humanitarian aid and support Palestinian reconciliation, the UN’s political chief told the Security Council on Wednesday.