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UN Security Council
US President Donald Trump's ambition for the 'Board of Peace' to play a role in global conflicts beyond Gaza appears to be the latest US attempt to sidestep the UN Security Council, raising new questions about the relevance of the 80-year-old world body and uncertainty about its future as a primary force in brokering peace worldwide. Trump is establishing the board, to be composed largely of invited heads of state, as the UN has embarked on major reforms intended to modernise an organisation founded on the ashes of World War II and make it a more viable global player in the 21st century. A decades-long reform effort gained new impetus after the Trump administration last year set out to eliminate billions of dollars in funding to international organisations and humanitarian assistance at large. Cutting life-saving humanitarian efforts, consolidating major agencies and moving personnel out of New York headquarters are just a few of the changes the UN has made as it courts continued ..
After weeks of escalating tension, US and Iranian officials faced each other Thursday at the UN Security Council, where America's envoy renewed threats against the Islamic Republic despite President Donald Trump's efforts to lower the temperature between the two adversaries. The US was joined by Iranian dissidents in rebuking the government's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests that activists say has killed at least 2,637 people. Colleagues, let me be clear: President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations, Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the UN, said in a statement. He has made it clear that all options are on the table to stop the slaughter. And no one should know that better than the leadership of the Iranian regime. Waltz's remarks came as the prospect of US retaliation for the protesters' deaths still hung over the region, though Trump signaled a possible de-escalation, saying the killing appeared to be ending. By Thursday, the protests ..
The UN marked its 80th anniversary in 2025 amid global conflicts, financial crisis, and US President Donald Trump's criticism, as India urged the world body to focus on "leadership and hope" and expressed willingness to take on a greater role. The conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, along with several others around the world from Sudan to Myanmar, raged unabated in 2025, yet again highlighting the ineptitude of the UN and its powerful, but polarised, Security Council in addressing global challenges. As nations continue to grapple with humanitarian emergencies, climate chaos and economic inequality, questions are raised over the relevance of the UN and whether the 80-year-old organisation, founded in 1945, has solutions for the problems of a world in flux in the 21st century. Against this backdrop, India gave a clarion call for reformed multilateralism. Addressing world leaders from the UN General Assembly podium in September, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stressed that an ...
The United States clashed with Venezuela and its allies at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, with the Trump administration vowing to use its full might to eradicate drug cartels and the Maduro government saying it anticipates an armed attack. Venezuela asked for the meeting of the UN's most powerful body following deadly US military strikes on four boats that Washington says were carrying drugs. Venezuela accused US President Donald Trump of seeking to topple President Nicols Maduro and threatening peace, security and stability regionally and internationally. The Trump administration has said three of the targeted boats set out to sea from Venezuela. The strikes, which the US said killed 21 people, followed a buildup of US maritime forces in the Caribbean unlike any seen in recent times. The belligerent action and rhetoric of the U.S. government objectively point to the fact that we are facing a situation in which it is rational to anticipate that in the ve
The UN Security Council has rejected another last-ditch effort to delay the reimposition of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme a day before the deadline and after Western countries claimed that weeks of meetings failed to result in a "concrete" agreement. The resolution put forth by Russia and China Iran's most powerful and closest allies on the 15-member council failed to garner support on Friday from the nine countries required to halt the series of UN sanctions from taking effect Saturday, as outlined in Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. "We had hoped that European colleagues and the US would think twice, and they would opt for the path of diplomacy and dialogue instead of their clumsy blackmail, which merely results in escalation of the situation in the region," Dmitry Polyanskiy, the deputy Russian ambassador to the UN, said during the meeting. Barring an eleventh-hour deal, the reinstatement of sanctions triggered by Britain, France and Germany will onc
The United States once again vetoed a UN Security Council resolution Thursday that had demanded for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages after saying that the effort did not go far enough in condemning Hamas. All 14 other members of the United Nations' most powerful body voted in favor of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as catastrophic and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory. The outcome further highlights US and Israeli isolation on the world stage regarding the nearly two-year war in Gaza. The vote came just days ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, where Gaza will be a major topic and where major US allies are expected to recognise an independent Palestinian state. It is a largely symbolic move that is vehemently opposed by Israel and the US, dividing the Trump administration from close allies, .
Pakistan and China have submitted a joint bid at the UN Security Council to designate the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its suicide wing - Majeed Brigade - as a terrorist entity under the Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee. Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said on Wednesday that terrorist entities, including ISIL-K, Al-Qaeda, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, East Turkistan Islamic Movement, the BLA and its Majeed Brigade, operate from Afghan sanctuaries, with more than 60 terror camps serving as hubs for enabling cross-border attacks. Pakistan and China have jointly submitted to the 1267 Sanctions Committee a request to designate the BLA and Majeed Brigade. We hope the Council will act swiftly on this listing to curb their terrorist activities, Ahmed said at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Afghanistan. Pakistan currently sits in the 15-nation Security Council as a non-permanent member for the 2025-26 term, ..
India has underscored the urgent need for accountability in crimes against UN peacekeepers, asserting that impunity emboldens perpetrators and undermines global peace efforts. "United Nations peacekeepers face tremendous obstacles while working in increasingly dangerous areas. But for the most part, these crimes continue to go unpunished, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador P Harish, said on Tuesday. This lack of accountability severely undermines international peace efforts by giving assailants more confidence, he said. Harish was addressing a high-level meeting of the Group of Friends (GoF) to Promote Accountability for Crimes Against Peacekeepers. The GoF for Accountability of Crimes against Peacekeepers is co-chaired by India and other leading nations. Accountability is a strategic necessity... Ensuring responsibility for crimes against UN personnel is essential to the integrity and efficacy of international peacekeeping efforts, he ...
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday inaugurated an exhibition at the UN headquarters here, highlighting the human cost of terrorism and attacks perpetrated by terror groups, including by those based in Pakistan. The exhibition was inaugurated a day before Pakistan begins its Presidency of the UN Security Council for July on Tuesday. The exhibition titled The Human Cost of Terrorism' has been organised by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN and highlights the devastating toll of heinous terrorist acts around the world, and the steps taken by the international community to combat terrorism. The exhibition will be on display at two locations in the UN headquarters from June 30 to July 11. From the 2006 Mumbai terror attacks perpetrated by Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to the recent Pahalgam terror attacks, the exhibition highlights the numerous terror attacks perpetrated across the globe, names the terror outfits responsible for the attacks and ..
UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that Israeli strikes destroyed the above-ground section of Iran's main nuclear facility at Natanz. He said all the electrical infrastructure and emergency power generators were destroyed as well as a section of the facility where uranium was enriched up to 60 per cent. The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to have been hit, but the loss of power could have damaged the infrastructure there, he said. Israel launched blistering attacks on the heart of Iran's nuclear and military structure on Friday, deploying warplanes and drones previously smuggled into the country to attack key facilities and kill top generals and scientists -- a barrage it said was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon. Iran retaliated late on Friday by unleashing scores of ballistic missiles on Israel, where explosions flared in the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook th
Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the UN Security Council will be seized of the matter and could discuss the situation if such a request is made, President of the Council for the month of May Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris said on Thursday. "This is an issue which is now ongoing, evolving," Sekeris said at a press briefing. Sekeris, who is the Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN, said that the Council had recently issued a press statement condemning the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. "We are listening, of course, we are monitoring closely the situation and will be seized on the matter, of course. This is certain that will happen," he said. He added that any act of terrorism is strongly condemned. "We express our deepest condolences to the Government of India and Nepal and the families of the victims. At the same time, I have to tell you that we are also seriously concerned wit
The Palestinian government has said it is ready to take responsibility for running the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and is committed to managing crossing points in collaboration with the European Union and Egypt. Palestinian minister of state for foreign affairs, Varsen Aghabekian, told a ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council on Gaza on Monday that the government welcomes any assistance to train and equip the Palestinian police and security forces. She also called for urgent humanitarian aid. Aghabekian expressed hope that the six-week ceasefire will lead to a final ceasefire and lay the foundations for a political track to end Israel's occupation within a year as called for by the International Court of Justice, the UN's highest tribunal. Israel's political coordinator, Reut Shapir Ben Naftaly, told the council "this war will not end until every hostage is returned and Hamas' ability to terrorise is dismantled". She said the Middle East stands at "a turning point" where
Singapore's foreign ministry has said international powers should not take advantage of the fissures in Syrian society to pursue their own strategic objectives. "All parties must ensure the safety and well-being of Syrian civilians who have already suffered so much," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that Singapore is closely monitoring developments in Syria. The complex situation in Syria can only be resolved definitively through an inclusive, Syrian-led political process as affirmed in the UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Any meaningful political solution must respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Syria, it said. Since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, more than 3,00,000 Syrians have been killed and more than 13 million have been displaced with many seeking refuge in other countries. "We hope they can return safely to their homes when peace is restored," the ministry said. Given the current volatile situation, Singaporean
Yemen risks being dragged further into the military escalation in the Middle East that keeps intensifying and could spiral out of control, the U.N. special envoy for the Arab world's poorest nation said Tuesday. Hans Grundberg told the U.N. Security Council that regrettably Yemen is part of the escalation and he warned that repeated attacks on international shipping by its Houthi rebels have significantly increased the risk of an environment disaster in the Red Sea. Both Grundberg and the U.N.'s acting humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya urged the Iranian-backed Houthis to halt their attacks on international shipping, which the rebel group began to support fellow Iranian-backed militant group Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack in Israel that sparked Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. The U.N. officials also demanded the release of dozens of U.N. personnel, staff of non-governmental organizations and diplomatic missions, and members of civil society, most detained since June. Msuya called the ...