Cooperation between the United Nations and the…

With multilateralism under great strain, the relationship between the United Nations and Arab regional leadership is even more critical to the maintenance of peace and stability, the Security Council heard today.

Briefing the 15-member organ at the meeting’s outset, Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, commended the robust relationship between the Organization and the League of Arab States (LAS).  In particular, she highlighted the League’s 19 May summit and its resolutions on issues of mutual interest and ongoing cooperation.

In Sudan, she said, coordinating efforts between the Organization, LAS, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and other partners will be key to ending the conflict. 

n addition to outlining the shared goals and collaborations between the two organizations in various conflict zones, she also pointed to the immense potential vested in Arab youth and called on Member States to engage with the young men and women of the region.  “Together, we can achieve what neither organization could achieve on its own,” she said.

The Arab region is one of the youngest in the world, Omnia El Omrani, Youth Envoy for the President of the twenty-seventh United Nations Climate Change Conference, told the Council.  She noted that more than 60 per cent of its population comprise youth under the age of 30.  Climate change is displacing millions of people in the region and affecting the mental health of its youth as it impacts their livelihood, she said. 

Also briefing the Council today was Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, who pointed to recent developments in his region. 

As Council members took the floor, many welcomed the collaboration between regional organizations such as the League and the United Nations, pointing to their complementary roles. 

The meeting began at 10:01 a.m. and ended at 12:16 p.m.