Status Update

Sudan (Darfur)

On 4 December 2014, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous briefed the Council and reported that Sudan had publicly called for UNAMID’s departure (S/PV.7326). He also presented the quarterly UNAMID report (S/2014/852). On 12 December, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, during her semi-annual briefing on the Court’s work in Darfur, said that the ICC was suspending its investigations in Darfur because of the Security Council’s lack of action on the matter and the limited resources of her office which would be applied elsewhere (S/PV.7337). On 30 December, the Council held consultations to discuss Sudan’s decision to expel two high-level UN officials from the country, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Ali al-Zaatari (Jordan) and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director Yvonne Helle (Netherlands). Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson briefed.

Kosovo

On 4 December 2014, the Council held its quarterly debate on Kosovo (S/PV.7327). Special Representative Farid Zarif briefed on recent developments and the latest Secretary-General’s report (S/2014/773). Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Hashim Thaçi of Kosovo also participated. Most of the delegations joined Zarif in calling on both sides to resume the EU facilitated dialogue that had been stalled due to the delay in forming Kosovo’s new government. Some members also called for a reduction in the frequency of Council meetings on Kosovo, citing the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

Sudan/South Sudan

On 8 December 2014, Council members held consultations on Sudan/South Sudan issues as well as on the most recent UNISFA report (S/2014/862). Special Envoy Haile Menkerios briefed on Sudan/South Sudan via video-teleconference while Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous and Force Commander Major-General Halefom Moges briefed on UNISFA. On 11 December, Council members issued a press statement reiterating grave concern with the humanitarian situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile and at the “relatively calm but highly volatile security situation in Abyei” (SC/11694).

Liberia

Council members held consultations on Liberia sanctions on 8 December 2014, where the final report of the Panel of Experts was discussed (S/2014/831). The following day, the Council adopted resolution 2188, which renews the arms embargo on non-state actors, targeted travel ban and the mandate of the Panel of Experts. Resolution 2188 also reaffirms the asset freeze on Charles Taylor, his family and associates (imposed in 2004 and not time-limited). On 15 December 2014, the Council adopted resolution 2190, extending the mandate of UNMIL until 30 September 2015. It adds a good offices role for the Special Representative and a mandate for UNMIL to provide electoral assistance. The force structure of UNMIL remains unchanged for now, but the Council did reiterate its intent to withdraw the peacekeeping operation by 30 June 2016. Resolution 2190 also requests, in addition to the regular UNMIL reports, for the Secretary-General to update the Council by 15 March 2015 regarding the impact of the Ebola outbreak on security and to provide options for resuming UNMIL’s phased drawdown.

Subsidiary Bodies

On 9 December 2014, the five outgoing Council members—Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, Republic of Korea and Rwanda—briefed the Council on their work as chairs of subsidiary bodies (S/PV.7331). Argentina focused on the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee and the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions; Australia briefed on the 1267/1989 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, the 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee and the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee; Luxembourg focused on the 1718 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Sanctions Committee and the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict; the Republic of Korea discussed the 751/1907 Somalia-Eritrea Sanctions Committee and the 1540 Committee concerning non-proliferation; and Rwanda briefed on the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee and the Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations.

UNOCA/LRA

On 10 December 2014, the Council was briefed by Special Representative Abdoulaye Bathily on the UNOCA report (S/2014/812) and the implementation of the regional strategy to combat the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) (S/PV.7334). The Council adopted a presidential statement (S/PRST/2014/25) expressing its concern at the grave security situation in parts of Central Africa, in particular the ongoing crisis in the Central African Republic and its regional impact, the continuing threat of the LRA and the expansion of Boko Haram terrorist activities into countries in the sub-region. It also requested that the Secretary-General keep the Council informed through a single report on UNOCA and the LRA by 15 November 2014.

International Criminal Tribunals

On 10 December 2014, the Council held a debate (S/PV.7332) on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR) in which the presidents and prosecutors of these bodies briefed. The meeting focused on the completion strategy reports submitted by both Tribunals (S/2014/827 and S/2014/829) and the report from the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (S/2014/826). On 18 December, the Council adopted resolutions 2193 extending sixteen ICTY judges’ terms until 31 December 2015, with Russia abstaining. The Council also adopted resolution 2194, extending two ICTR judges’ terms until 31 July 2015 and four judges’ terms until 31 December 2015. Resolution 2194 also reappointed the ICTR Prosecutor Hassan Bubacar Jallow until 31 December 2015.

Sahel

On 11 December 2014, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Sahel, Hiroute Guebre Sellassie, briefed the Council on progress towards the implementation of the UN Sahel strategy (S/PV.7335). In addition, Sellassie noted the negative security impact that conflicts in Libya, northern Nigeria, northern Mali and the Central African Republic were having on the region. Council members also made statements.

Yemen

On 11 December 2014, the Council received a briefing from the chair of the 2140 Yemen Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaité (Lithuania) (S/PV.7336). Murmokaité described the Committee’s 7 November decision to adopt targeted sanctions against former President Abdullah Ali Saleh and two Houthi military commanders. The briefing was followed by consultations with the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar. Council members issued press statements condemning the 3 December bomb attack at the residence of the Iranian Ambassador to Yemen (SC/11683) and the 16 December bomb attacks in Radaa (SC/11710).

Afghanistan

On 11 December 2014, Council members issued a press statement condemning the attack on the French Institute of Afghanistan in Kabul by the Taliban (SC/11695). The Council met on 12 December (S/PV.7338) to adopt resolution 2189, welcoming the Afghanistan-NATO agreement to create the post-2014 Resolute Support Mission. On 18 December, the Council held its quarterly debate on the situation in Afghanistan (S/PV.7347) and considered the Secretary-General’s recent report on this issue (S/2014/876). The briefers were Nicholas Haysom, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, and Yuri Fedotov, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Terrorism

On 13 December 2014, Council members condemned the terrorist attack against the Embassy of Israel in Athens, Greece (SC/11700). On 16 December, Council members condemned the terrorist attack against children that occurred at a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, causing the death of over 140 innocent civilians, including 132 children (SC/11707).

South Sudan

On 15 December 2014, the Council adopted a presidential statement marking the one year anniversary of the outbreak of hostilities in South Sudan (S/PRST/2014/26). In the statement, the Council urgently demanded that the parties end the fighting and maintain their commitment to create a transitional government of national unity. The Council also reiterated “its intention to commence consideration, in consultation with relevant partners, including the IGAD and African Union, on all appropriate measures, including targeted sanctions, against those impeding the peace process.”

UN-AU Partnership

On 16 December 2014, the Council held an open debate on “Peace Operations: The UN-AU Partnership and Its Evolution” (S/PV.7343) at the initiative of Chad, Council president in December, who had circulated a concept note prior to the debate (S/2014/879). The meeting was chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Chad, Moussa Faki Mahamat. The Secretary-General and the head of the AU Mission in Mali and the Sahel, Pierre Buyoya, briefed. A presidential statement was adopted at the meeting acknowledging the progress in the ongoing cooperation between the UN and the AU in peace operations (S/PRST/2014/27).

Libya

On 17 December 2014, Olivier Nduhungirehe (Rwanda) briefed the Council on the steps taken by the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee to ensure compliance by member states with the sanctions regime (S/PV.7345), followed by consultations. At press time, Special Representative Bernardino Leon was expected to brief Council members in consultations on 23 December on challenges to his efforts to convene a political dialogue in Libya.

UNDOF (Golan Heights)

On 18 December 2014, the Council adopted resolution 2192 renewing UNDOF for six months after considering the Secretary-General’s latest report on the observer mission during 17 December consultations (S/2014/859).

Iran

On 18 December 2014, the chair of the 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Gary Quinlan (Australia), presented his final quarterly briefing on the Committee’s work (S/PV.7350). (Ambassador Román Oyarzun Marchesi [Spain] will take over the chairmanship of the Committee on 1 January 2015.) While welcoming the continued commitment of Iran and the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the US) to reach agreement on a comprehensive solution, Quinlan emphasised that the sanctions imposed by the Council remained fully in effect and that the Committee also remained fully committed to their implementation. Noting Iran’s failure to respond to letters it had received from the Committee on recent incidents reported by member states, he encouraged it to engage with the Committee. Furthermore, Quinlan informed the Council that the Committee had met on 8 December to consider the mid-term report from the Panel of Experts assisting the Committee and had continued discussions of the Panel’s latest final report (S/2014/394).

Terrorism and Transnational Organised Crime

On 19 December 2014, the Council held an open debate which focused on the linkages between transnational organised crime and terrorism (S/PV.7351). Of particular consideration was Chad’s concept note for the debate that it had circulated as president of the Council (S/2014/869) and the Secretary-General’s report on the work of the UN in fighting terrorism in Africa (S/2014/9). The meeting was presided over by Chad’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and the AU Permanent Observer to the UN, Téte António, briefed. At the debate, resolution 2195 was adopted and addressed the role of transnational organised crime in supporting terrorism.

DPRK (North Korea)

On 22 December 2014, the Council held a meeting on the situation in the DPRK with briefings by Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović and Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tayé-Brook Zerihoun (S/PV.7353). It was the first time that the Council considered the situation in the DPRK as a separate agenda item from the non-proliferation issue. At the initiative of Australia, ten Council members in a 5 December letter (S/2014/872), expressed concern about the situation in the DPRK and in particular the scale and gravity of human rights violations described in the 7 February 2014 report by the Commission of Inquiry established by the Human Rights Council (S/2014/276) and its impact on the stability of the region and the maintenance of international peace and security. They therefore requested that the situation in the DPRK “be formally placed on the Council’s agenda without prejudice to the item on non-proliferation in the DPRK” and also requested a meeting. (The five Council members that did not sign the letter were Argentina, Chad, China, Nigeria and Russia.) Following objections raised by China, the agenda for the 22 December meeting was put to a vote (S/PV.7353). This was the Council’s first procedural vote since 15 September 2006 when there was a vote on whether to consider the situation in Myanmar as a new agenda item. The agenda was approved by a vote of 11 in favor, two against (China and Russia) and two abstentions (Chad and Nigeria). On 15 December, the Council received a letter from the DPRK in response to the 5 December letter (S/2014/896). It denounced the US in particular for “scheming once again to abuse the Security Council” to implement “its hostile policy” and warned that its actions would certainly bring “serious consequences.” Referring also to the public release on 9 December by the US Congress of its report on the CIA’s interrogation practices, the letter said that the Council should consider “the century-old heinous human rights violations self-revealed” by the US if it was “truly interested in the settlement of human rights issues.”

UNOWA

On 31 December 2014, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman briefed Council members in consultations on the failed coup in Gambia.