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The Security Council Security Council Situation Report: 9 October 2020
This update complements the background guide already published in the AMUN Handbook. Please read the handbook before turning to this update.
Maintenance of International Peace and Security (COVID-19)
The health crisis caused by the airborne virus COVID-19 continues to worsen in countries across the globe, with a record-breaking 330,000 cases recorded within a 24-hour period by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 8 October, also bringing the global death toll to over one million.
Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly called for the implementation of a global ceasefire, and some 180 Member States have endorsed the appeal; in light of the pandemic, peace agreements have also been negotiated in Sudan and Afghanistan. However, the Secretary-General has expressed dismay over infighting within the Security Council over the global response to COVID-19 and disappointment at the delay in passing Resolution 2532. Addressing the Security Council on 25 September, Secretary-General Guterres blamed “a lack of global preparedness, cooperation, unity and solidarity” for the spread of the virus and the mounting death toll, calling for the body to address the situation more decisively.
Bibliography:
Al Jazeera (2020). “World in disarray: Angry exchanges at top UN meeting on COVID-19.” 25 September.
Shumaker, Lisa (2020). “WHO reports record one-day rise in global coronavirus cases amid European outbreak.” 8 October.
UN News (2020). “UN chief appeals for global solidarity at General Assembly, warns COVID is ‘dress rehearsal’ for challenges ahead.” 22 Sepember.
The Situation in the Middle East
While there are a number of issues within the Middle East that present clear domestic and international threats, the Council has been focusing its recent efforts on the situations in Syria, Yemen, and Israel and Palestine, due to rapidly escalating security concerns and worsening humanitarian crises in all three places.
The Israeli and Palestinian Questions
On 15 June, the Human Rights Council (HRC) High Commissioner Bachelet highlighted the impacts of COVID-19 and the current land and sea blockades around Palestine, which have further intensified the humanitarian crises there. The number of reported cases within the Gaza Strip and West Bank continues to rise. Notably, the US and others have strongly condemned the words and actions of the HRC in state press releases and in their Council interactions. TheUnited Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Mladenov, recently briefed the Council on 25 August, where he updated the Council on developments in the region and called for conflict management and preventive diplomacy. The Council will be receiving reports and deciding upon the expansion / renewal of the The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) mandate which is set to expire on 31 December 2020.
The Israeli and Palestinian Questions have become further complicated by a series of chagnesin relations between regional powers and those abroad. Specifically, in August, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to a normalization of relations with Israel, under the condition that Israel cease its plans to annex sections of the West Bank. Israel has signaled that their recent actions are temporary in nature, and they are still openly considering annexation in the abstract future. This move was supported by the United States, and on 15 September, rocket fire from the Gaza strip struck Ashdod in retaliation. These moves mark significant shifts in diplomatic approaches on the issue and dissolving precedent established by the Arab Peace Initiative from 2002 and Resolution 2334 from December of 2016.
Syria
According to Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the organization is pressing forward with efforts to verify the destruction of Syria’s stockpiles of chemical weapons and production facilities, despite both security and health concerns within the country. Reports from 2 October indicate that toxic substances were likely used in Saraqib in 2016 and Aleppo in 2018. As per organizational mandate, Syria has 90 days to respond to these findings.
The Council will recall that on 16 September, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Mark Lowcock, briefed the Council on the increasing concern of the COVID-19 pandemic in Syria. This has placed even further strain on the already decimated Syrian economy, along with the pre-pandemic humanitarian crisis in the region. Transmission of the virus has reached widespread community spread, and according to Mr. Lowcock, “a shortage of health workers and medical supplies, combined with temporary shutdowns, are putting more pressure on Syria’s decimated health system.”
Yemen
War-ravaged Yemen has begun to see wide-spread transmission of COVID-19, after years of violent conflict has left it with little medical infrastructure to combat the virus. On 23 September, the United Nations cut aid to 300 health centers across the country and reduced life-saving food distribution due to lack of funding.
As of early October, fighting has also resumed in Yemen’s main port of Hodeidah between the Houthis and those allied with Yemen’s government. United Nations Special Envoy Martin Griffiths said the military escalation violates the truce agreement from June, and “runs against the spirit of the ongoing UN-facilitated negotiations that aim to achieve a nationwide ceasefire, humanitarian and economic measures and the resumption of the political process”.
Bibliography:
Al Jazeera, (2020). “UN slashes healthcare in Yemen due to lack of funding” 23 September.
Al Jazeera, (2020). “Yemen: UN calls for ceasefire as clashes resume in Hodeidah port.” 8 October.
Brookings Institute. (2020). Around-the-halls: Experts analyze the normalization of Israel-UAE ties. 13 August.
Garda World. (2020). Israel/Palestinian Terr.: Rocket fire from Gaza Strip impacts Ashdod (Southern district). 15 September
Halbfinger, David and Rasgon, Adam. (2020). “As Annexation Looms, Israeli Experts Warn of Security Risks.” 19 June. New York Times.
Security Council Meeting Coverage (2020). “Despite COVID-19, Efforts to Verify Destruction of Syria’s Chemical Weapons Stockpile Continue, High Representative Tells Security Council.” 5 October.
Security Council Report (2020). UNDOF (Golan Heights). 30 September.
The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (2020). SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFING ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION (AS DELIVERED BY UN SPECIAL COORDINATOR MLADENOV). 25 August.
United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. (2020). Introductory remarks by Michelle Bachelet United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 15 June.
United Nations, Security Council (2016). The Situation in the Middle East. S/RES/2334.
United Nations, Security Council (2020). The Situation in the Middle East. S/RES/2530.
United States Department of State. (2020). UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Database Report Release. 13 February.
United States Department of State. (2020). UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Database Report Release. 13 February.
UN News (2020). “Syria COVID spread may be much higher than figures suggest, Lowcock tells Security Council.” 16 September.
UN News (2020). “‘Tens of millions of Yemenis’ devastated by unabated war and COVID-19.” 17 September.
Zilber, Niri (2020). Normalization Deal Between Israel and the UAE Signals a Shift in the Region. 13 August. Foreign Policy.
This update complements the background guide already published in the AMUN Handbook. Please read the handbook before turning to this update.
Maintenance of International Peace and Security (COVID-19)
The health crisis caused by the airborne virus COVID-19 continues to worsen in countries across the globe, with a record-breaking 330,000 cases recorded within a 24-hour period by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 8 October, also bringing the global death toll to over one million.
Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly called for the implementation of a global ceasefire, and some 180 Member States have endorsed the appeal; in light of the pandemic, peace agreements have also been negotiated in Sudan and Afghanistan. However, the Secretary-General has expressed dismay over infighting within the Security Council over the global response to COVID-19 and disappointment at the delay in passing Resolution 2532. Addressing the Security Council on 25 September, Secretary-General Guterres blamed “a lack of global preparedness, cooperation, unity and solidarity” for the spread of the virus and the mounting death toll, calling for the body to address the situation more decisively.
Bibliography:
Al Jazeera (2020). “World in disarray: Angry exchanges at top UN meeting on COVID-19.” 25 September.
Shumaker, Lisa (2020). “WHO reports record one-day rise in global coronavirus cases amid European outbreak.” 8 October.
UN News (2020). “UN chief appeals for global solidarity at General Assembly, warns COVID is ‘dress rehearsal’ for challenges ahead.” 22 Sepember.
The Situation in the Middle East
While there are a number of issues within the Middle East that present clear domestic and international threats, the Council has been focusing its recent efforts on the situations in Syria, Yemen, and Israel and Palestine, due to rapidly escalating security concerns and worsening humanitarian crises in all three places.
The Israeli and Palestinian Questions
On 15 June, the Human Rights Council (HRC) High Commissioner Bachelet highlighted the impacts of COVID-19 and the current land and sea blockades around Palestine, which have further intensified the humanitarian crises there. The number of reported cases within the Gaza Strip and West Bank continues to rise. Notably, the US and others have strongly condemned the words and actions of the HRC in state press releases and in their Council interactions. TheUnited Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Mladenov, recently briefed the Council on 25 August, where he updated the Council on developments in the region and called for conflict management and preventive diplomacy. The Council will be receiving reports and deciding upon the expansion / renewal of the The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) mandate which is set to expire on 31 December 2020.
The Israeli and Palestinian Questions have become further complicated by a series of chagnesin relations between regional powers and those abroad. Specifically, in August, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to a normalization of relations with Israel, under the condition that Israel cease its plans to annex sections of the West Bank. Israel has signaled that their recent actions are temporary in nature, and they are still openly considering annexation in the abstract future. This move was supported by the United States, and on 15 September, rocket fire from the Gaza strip struck Ashdod in retaliation. These moves mark significant shifts in diplomatic approaches on the issue and dissolving precedent established by the Arab Peace Initiative from 2002 and Resolution 2334 from December of 2016.
Syria
According to Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the organization is pressing forward with efforts to verify the destruction of Syria’s stockpiles of chemical weapons and production facilities, despite both security and health concerns within the country. Reports from 2 October indicate that toxic substances were likely used in Saraqib in 2016 and Aleppo in 2018. As per organizational mandate, Syria has 90 days to respond to these findings.
The Council will recall that on 16 September, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Mark Lowcock, briefed the Council on the increasing concern of the COVID-19 pandemic in Syria. This has placed even further strain on the already decimated Syrian economy, along with the pre-pandemic humanitarian crisis in the region. Transmission of the virus has reached widespread community spread, and according to Mr. Lowcock, “a shortage of health workers and medical supplies, combined with temporary shutdowns, are putting more pressure on Syria’s decimated health system.”
Yemen
War-ravaged Yemen has begun to see wide-spread transmission of COVID-19, after years of violent conflict has left it with little medical infrastructure to combat the virus. On 23 September, the United Nations cut aid to 300 health centers across the country and reduced life-saving food distribution due to lack of funding.
As of early October, fighting has also resumed in Yemen’s main port of Hodeidah between the Houthis and those allied with Yemen’s government. United Nations Special Envoy Martin Griffiths said the military escalation violates the truce agreement from June, and “runs against the spirit of the ongoing UN-facilitated negotiations that aim to achieve a nationwide ceasefire, humanitarian and economic measures and the resumption of the political process”.
Bibliography:
Al Jazeera, (2020). “UN slashes healthcare in Yemen due to lack of funding” 23 September.
Al Jazeera, (2020). “Yemen: UN calls for ceasefire as clashes resume in Hodeidah port.” 8 October.
Brookings Institute. (2020). Around-the-halls: Experts analyze the normalization of Israel-UAE ties. 13 August.
Garda World. (2020). Israel/Palestinian Terr.: Rocket fire from Gaza Strip impacts Ashdod (Southern district). 15 September
Halbfinger, David and Rasgon, Adam. (2020). “As Annexation Looms, Israeli Experts Warn of Security Risks.” 19 June. New York Times.
Security Council Meeting Coverage (2020). “Despite COVID-19, Efforts to Verify Destruction of Syria’s Chemical Weapons Stockpile Continue, High Representative Tells Security Council.” 5 October.
Security Council Report (2020). UNDOF (Golan Heights). 30 September.
The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (2020). SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFING ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION (AS DELIVERED BY UN SPECIAL COORDINATOR MLADENOV). 25 August.
United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. (2020). Introductory remarks by Michelle Bachelet United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 15 June.
United Nations, Security Council (2016). The Situation in the Middle East. S/RES/2334.
United Nations, Security Council (2020). The Situation in the Middle East. S/RES/2530.
United States Department of State. (2020). UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Database Report Release. 13 February.
United States Department of State. (2020). UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Database Report Release. 13 February.
UN News (2020). “Syria COVID spread may be much higher than figures suggest, Lowcock tells Security Council.” 16 September.
UN News (2020). “‘Tens of millions of Yemenis’ devastated by unabated war and COVID-19.” 17 September.
Zilber, Niri (2020). Normalization Deal Between Israel and the UAE Signals a Shift in the Region. 13 August. Foreign Policy.