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Taking stock of current achievements aimed at fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Economic and Social Council today opened its third annual High‑level Political Forum to review gains made through a lens of the central theme:  transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies.

The Security Council, acting unanimously at the outset of a far-ranging open debate today, adopted a resolution aimed at further crystalizing the protection of children in armed conflicts, including by combating their recruitment by non-State armed groups and treating formerly recruited children primarily as victims.

Despite significant progress in the International Criminal Court’s investigation of crimes committed within Libya in 2011 — including its first visit to the country in five years, in March 2018 — the cause of criminal justice would be undermined unless accused perpetrators were handed over, the Chief Prosecutor told the Security Council today.

Indigenous peoples must be more involved in the work of the United Nations, and allowed to determine who participated on their behalf, speakers in the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues said today, with some questioning Governments’ commitment to further consider that issue.

Indigenous peoples were overrepresented among the poor, disproportionately impacted by climate change and systematically targeted for defending their freedoms, experts told the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues today as it covered a range of infringements upon collective rights to lands, territories and natural resources.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict had entered a “dangerous” phase amid a fresh wave of violence in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, the Deputy Secretary-General told the Security Council today as he pressed leaders from both sides to publicly take a stand against extremism and incitement, as failure to do so left the door open to promote destructive extremist agendas.

As catastrophic levels of starvation, disease and violence continued to ravage Yemen, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy told the Security Council today that a peace agreement had nearly been reached and only the country’s decision makers could stop the war and bloodshed.

Following is a transcript of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ press conference, held in New York today:

Welcoming security, economic and political reforms in Somalia — including the peaceful election of a new Speaker of the House of People and resumed Parliament activity — the Security Council today noted with concern recent fighting in the northern Sool region, urging parties to cease hostilities, pull back their forces and engage in dialogue.

The Security Council today expressed deep concern over the political situation in Burundi, the slow progress of the inter‑Burundian dialogue and the lack of engagement by the Government in that process.