Mr. President,
According to the official news agency of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and various government sources, the DPRK launched a Hwasong-18 type intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at 8:24 AM local time on 18 December. The missile flew a distance of approximately 1,000 km and reached an altitude of 6,500 km before falling into the sea.
This is the fifth launch of an ICBM in 2023, following a Hwasong-15 in February, a Hwasong-17 in March, and solid-fuel Hwasong-18 missiles in April and July. The systems are reportedly capable of reaching most points on Earth.
In November, the DPRK also announced that it had carried out two successful tests of a new engine for a solid-fuel intermediate range ballistic missile.
Mr. President,
On 18 December, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the launch of a long-range ballistic missile by the DPRK. He urged the DPRK to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions. He also reiterated his call on the DPRK to reopen communication channels, and to resume dialogue without preconditions to achieve sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Mr. President,
The launch of yet another ICBM is of serious concern. Despite numerous meetings of the Security Council on this matter in 2023, the DPRK did not heed the strong call from members of the Security Council to refrain from further launches.
In addition, regrettably the DPRK did once again not issue any airspace or maritime safety notifications. The unannounced launches represent a serious risk to international civil aviation and maritime traffic.
Recalling that on 21 November, the DPRK successfully placed into orbit a reconnaissance satellite using ballistic missile technology, announcing it would launch “several reconnaissance satellites in a short span of time”. We reiterate that any launch by the DPRK using ballistic missile technology is a violation of relevant Security Council resolutions, and we strongly urge the DPRK to refrain from such actions.
Mr. President,
At this particularly difficult moment in securing global peace and security, it is imperative to deescalate the situation on the Korean Peninsula to create an environment conducive for cooperation.
We call on Security Council Members to unite and make full use of the tools of dialogue, diplomacy, and negotiation, while fully complying with all Security Council resolutions. We also urge the DPRK to embrace diplomacy, rather than choosing isolation, as the way forward.
In this respect, I would like to acknowledge the participation of the Permanent Representatives from the DPRK as well as the Republic of Korea in this meeting. I welcome the opportunity for all parties to speak, as the lack of communication channels hinders the possibility of progress.
I emphasize again the importance of reinstating communication channels, particularly between military entities. Exercising maximum restraint is critical to avoid unintended escalation.
Mr. President,
Once again, I want to underscore concerns regarding the humanitarian situation in the DPRK. The United Nations is ready to assist the DPRK in addressing the needs of its vulnerable populations. We note that international travel in and out of the DPRK is now taking place at a growing rate. We urge the DPRK to allow the re-entry and rotation of the international community, including the UN Resident Coordinator and UN agencies. A collective return will significantly enhance international support for the people of the DPRK and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, met with the President of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al Alimi, and Vice President Uthman Mujalli in Riyadh. During the meeting, they discussed next steps towards reaching an agreement on measures to improve living conditions in Yemen, a sustainable ceasefire, and the resumption of a Yemeni-owned political process under UN auspices.
While in Riyadh, Grundberg met with the Saudi...
The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva was briefed by High Commissioner Volker Türk on Tuesday who described “a litany of continuous suffering” in Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s continuing invasion.
Tuesday marks another crucial day again at the Security Council, where diplomatic negotiations are continuing to find consensus on further unified action in response to the crisis in Gaza, more than ten weeks after terror attacks by Hamas plunged the Israel-Palestine conflict into an unprecedented phase of violence. Follow our live coverage here.
Gaza is by far the most dangerous place in the world to be a child and deaths of youngsters from disease will likely surpass those from bombardment in the absence of a ceasefire, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
Repeated long-range ballistic missile launches by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) represent a serious threat to international air and sea transportation, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday.
The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to renew the mandate of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for another year.
Tuesday marked another intense day of diplomacy in the Security Council in New York, where negotiations continued to try and reach consensus on further unified action in response to the crisis in Gaza, more than ten weeks after terror attacks by Hamas plunged the Israel-Palestine conflict into an unprecedented phase of violence and devastation. Ambassadors have delayed the vote again, until Wednesday.
Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to brief the Council on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015).
Despite repeated calls on all parties concerned to renew dialogue and engagement aimed at a return to the full and effective implementation of the Plan and resolution 2231 (2015), diplomatic efforts remain at a standstill. Nonetheless, the Secretary-General still considers that the JCPOA represents the best available option to ensure that the Iranian nuclear programme remains exclusively peaceful.
In this context, the Secretary-General has stressed that it is essential for Iran to reverse steps that are not consistent with its nuclear related commitments under the Plan and which it has pledged are reversible. He has also underscored that the United States would need to lift or waive its sanctions as outlined in the Plan and extend waivers regarding the trade in oil with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In its most recent report, dated 15 November 2023, the International Atomic Energy Agency noted that, unfortunately, its verification and monitoring continues to be, and I quote, “seriously affected by Iran’s cessation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA”. The Agency is still unable to verify the stockpile of enriched uranium in the country.
Nevertheless, the Agency estimates that Iran maintains a total enriched uranium stockpile more than twenty times the allowable amount under the JCPOA. This includes increased quantities of uranium enriched to 20% and 60%. Such a stockpile of enriched uranium remains a very serious concern.
Mr. President,
I will now turn to the restrictive measures set out in annex B of resolution 2231 (2015), as reviewed in the Secretary-General’s sixteenth report on the resolution (S/2023/975). The restrictive measures related to missile activities and transfers, as well as the asset freeze expired the day after 18 October 2023, in accordance with the resolution. Therefore, the report of the Secretary-General covers implementation of those provisions until 18 October.
First, on the nuclear-related provisions, no new proposals were submitted to the procurement channel in the last six months.
The Security Council, however, received three notifications, submitted pursuant to the nuclear-related restrictive measures for certain activities consistent with the Plan.
During the reporting period, the United States renewed waivers with respect to nuclear non-proliferation projects foreseen in the Plan and the nuclear-related provisions in annex B to resolution 2231 for another 180-day period.
Second, regarding ballistic missile-related provisions, France, Germany, Iran, Israel, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom provided information to the Secretary-General and the Council concerning a test flight of a space launch vehicle conducted by Iran in September of this year.
The letters received from these Member States continue to reflect differing opinions on whether this type of launch is inconsistent with the resolution.
Third, we also examined information related to paragraph 4 of annex B.
This paragraph pertains to the supply, sale or transfer to or from Iran of all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology as set out in Council document S/2015/546 which require prior approval of the Council.
It includes the list of complete delivery systems and subsystems, as well as the associated components and equipment, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and other Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems with a range of 300 km or more.
At the invitation of the Government of Yemen, the Secretariat examined the debris of a cruise missile used in an attack by the Houthis on the Al-Dhaaba oil terminal in November of last year.
We observed numerous similarities relating to design, configuration, dimensions, manufacturers and part numbering between the debris seen in Yemen and previously examined components of cruise missiles used in prior Houthi attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as with cruise missile components seized by the United States and United Kingdom.
The Secretariat assessed that the cruise missile used in the November 2022 attack was also of Iranian origin and may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent with resolution 2231.
This assessment was subsequently corroborated by the unveiling of a new Iranian cruise missile designated as “Paveh” and the release of better images of an Iranian jet engine.
The Secretariat determined that both the cruise missile and jet engine shared identical or similar design characteristics, structure and components with those observed in cruise missiles used in prior Houthi attacks or found in maritime seizures which have been reported to the Council.
In the reporting period, we also examined the ballistic missile components seized by the British Royal Navy in February 2023 and alleged to have been transferred in a manner inconsistent with resolution 2231.
These included an inertial navigation system and a re-entry vehicle nose cone. We observed again that these components had similar design characteristics or markings to those seen on components examined from the debris of previous ballistic missile attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
We also received letters from Ukraine and the United States reiterating their concerns about the alleged transfers of uncrewed aerial vehicles from Iran to the Russian Federation, in a manner inconsistent with paragraph 4 of annex B.
The United States also shared information, that it assessed to be clear evidence of the supply of these UAVs based on its analysis of debris recovered from attacks on Ukraine compared with debris collected from other theatres.
In response letters, the Permanent Representatives of Iran and the Russian Federation once again disputed these allegations. They dismissed the evidence presented by the United States and Ukraine as “utterly fabricated” and disputed any violation of resolution 2231.
In October, the Secretariat attended a briefing organized by the United Kingdom and the United States. The briefing included displays of various weapon systems, including the debris of UAVs reportedly recovered from Russian attacks against Ukraine in the fall of 2022, as well as similar UAV debris allegedly retrieved from attacks in Iraq and for which Iran claimed responsibility.
Israel submitted letters regarding multiple launches of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as uncrewed aerial vehicles, by the Houthis in October and November of this year.
According to Israel, these missiles and weapons were transferred to the Houthis by Iran on or before 18 October 2023 in a manner inconsistent with resolution 2231.
Iran rejected these allegations as “entirely groundless” and the Russian Federation noted that they “are not substantiated with any proof[s]”.
The Secretariat noted that the information provided by Israel concerning the attack dates and types of weapon systems used is broadly consistent with statements and a video released by the Houthis.
While the Secretariat cannot confirm the authenticity of the video, we did note that the weapon systems displayed in it resemble those used in multiple prior Houthi attacks and which we assessed to be of Iranian origin.
Finally, the Secretariat received information from a Member State alleging actions inconsistent with the assets freeze provisions that the Secretariat was unable to corroborate.
Mr President,
The adoption of the JCPOA just over eight years ago was rightly and universally hailed as a historic breakthrough. Today, the hope the deal engendered has greatly diminished.
The United Nations will continue to urge the participants to exercise maximum restraint and to exhaust all available diplomatic avenues to restore the Plan. Indeed, the participants are responsible for its fate.
But whether the JCPOA succeeds or fails – especially at this extremely dangerous juncture in global peace and security – matters to all of us.
In closing, I would like to thank Her Excellency Vanessa Frazier for her leadership as Facilitator for resolution 2231, as well as the Coordinator of the Procurement Working Group of the Joint Commission for our continued cooperation.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The head of the UN health agency Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has spoken out against the “effective destruction” of a hospital in northern Gaza by Israeli forces over the weekend, leading to the deaths of eight patients including a nine-year-old child.
Despite appeals to all those involved in the stalled deal to ensure Iran does not develop nuclear weapons, “diplomatic efforts remain at a standstill”, the UN’s political affairs chief told the Security Council on Monday.
With more than 900 air attacks across Ukraine in just one week, the intensifying Russian bombing campaign is leaving millions of children without sustained access to electricity, heat and water, as winter temperatures plummet.
Despite recent legislative progress, Libya’s political landscape remains fraught with power struggles, as key figures attach conditions to taking part in crucial talks, the UN envoy to the north African nation said on Monday.
“Haiti is not hopeless”, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Monday during a meeting addressing the multiple crises besetting the Caribbean nation, alongside the presidents of the UN Security Council and Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The members of the Security Council have condemned Friday’s assault on a police station in southern Iran, in which 11 Iranian police officers were killed, and eight critically wounded.
UN workers delivering medical supplies to the Al-Shifa Hospital in north Gaza on 16 December have described the emergency department as a “bloodbath”, with hundreds of injured people inside, and a constant flow of new patients.
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Amidst a multitude of global crises and escalating of armed conflicts, small arms and light weapons remain a silent killer, having claimed over 260,000 lives during 2021, amounting to 45 per cent of all violent deaths.
The UN Spokesperson has welcomed the announcement on Friday by the Israeli cabinet that the Kerem Shalom border crossing into the Gaza Strip will be reopened.
The outbreak of conflict seven months ago in Sudan has led to “a convergence of a worsening humanitarian calamity and a catastrophic human rights crisis”, according to a senior UN official, and the restive region of Darfur has been particularly badly affected.
A pioneer in the study of chimpanzees and a vocal environmental activist, Jane Goodall became a UN Messenger of Peace in 2002.
Some Gazans are so desperate for food that they are now stopping aid trucks and immediately eating what they find, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned on Thursday.
Heavy rains created new misery in Gaza as UN humanitarians repeated deep concerns on Thursday over the deteriorating health situation in the Strip, amid ongoing Israeli bombardment and fighting with Palestinian armed groups.
South Sudan is in no position to hold free, fair, or secure elections slated for December next year, the head of the UN Mission in the country (UNMISS) said on Thursday, stressing that there’s still time to catch up.
A ceasefire in Gaza is “the only way forward” and “in the interest of everybody” as the war there threatens peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis for years or even decades to come, the UN’s top humanitarian official in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said on Wednesday.
Humanitarians in Ukraine mobilized emergency assistance for citizens of Kyiv on Wednesday morning following the third attack in less than a week by Russia forces which left dozens injured, including children.
The last barely functioning hospital in northern Gaza is a “humanitarian disaster zone”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, highlighting the disastrous consequences of ongoing Israeli bombardment for critically ill and injured civilians across the enclave.
UN peacekeeping missions in Sub-Saharan Africa are operating under more challenging political and security conditions due to a multiplication of crises and a “climate of division” amongst Member States, particularly in the Security Council. That’s according to the head of UN Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
The UN General Assembly met on Tuesday afternoon in Emergency Special Session on the decades long Israel-Palestine conflict and as the ongoing crisis in Gaza shows no signs of abating.
With just nine days to go for the Presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the situation is one of progress in the electoral process on one hand and escalating insecurity on the other the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country said on Monday.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths reiterated deep concerns for the people of Gaza on Monday, amid reports of intense fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza City and Jabalia in the north of the Strip, and in Khan Younis in the south, while Israeli bombardment of the enclave has continued.
In a special emergency session held on Sunday in Geneva, the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a resolution by consensus, aimed at addressing the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
The UN Secretary-General on Sunday pledged that he would “not give up” on appealing for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, adding that inaction on the Security Council was undermining its credibility.
On Human Rights Day and the 75th anniversary of the...
