Security Council Extends Panel of Experts on Sudan, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2562 (2021)
The Security Council, acting through its special procedure amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, decided today in a videoconference to extend until 12 March 2022 the mandate of the Panel of Experts tasked with assisting the committee overseeing sanctions concerning Sudan.
Unanimously adopting resolution 2562 (2021), the Council requested the Panel of Experts on the Sudan to provide the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) with an interim report on its activities by 12 August 2021 and a final report by 13 January 2022, with its findings and recommendations. It further requested that the Panel of Experts provide updates every three months to the Committee regarding its activities and expressed its intention to review the mandate and take appropriate action regarding the further extension of the mandate no later than 12 February 2022.
The Council requested the Government of Sudan to submit requests for the Committee’s consideration, and where appropriate, prior approval for the movement of military equipment and supplies into the Darfur region, particularly in the context of the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement.
The 15-member organ also requested the Secretary-General, in close consultation with the Government of Sudan, signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement, United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS) and the Panel of Experts, to conduct a review of the situation in Darfur. This includes threats to stability, implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement and the National Plan for Civilian Protection, measures to tackle the proliferation of weapons, and compliance with those measures on Darfur.
The Council further requested the Secretary-General, in close coordination with the Panel of Experts and in consultation with the Government of Sudan, to provide a report by 31 July containing recommendations for clear and well‑identified key benchmarks that could serve in guiding the Security Council to review the measures on Darfur. In this regard, the Council expressed its intention to establish such benchmarks no later than 15 September, with readiness to consider adjusting measures to respond to the situation in Darfur.
[Security Council resolutions are currently adopted through a written procedure vote under temporary, extraordinary and provisional measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as set out in a letter (document S/2020/253) by its President for March 2020 (China).]