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UN Security Council to meet on migrant crisis

The UN Security Council will hold a special meeting next week to discuss ways to address the crisis sparked by a relentless wave of thousands of Mediterranean boat migrants, diplomats said on Tuesday.

Published: 6 May 2015 07:27 CEST

UN Security Council to meet on migrant crisis

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will brief the 15-member council on Monday. Photo: Emanuel Dunand/AFP

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will brief the 15-member council on Monday on the European Union's plans to stem the flow of migrants who are at the mercy of human traffickers.

The European Union is looking to the Security Council for endorsement of a plan which could involve military action against boats operated by traffickers.

Security Council members Britain, France, Spain and Lithuania are working with Italy on a draft resolution that would endorse the EU plan.

Italy has renewed its appeal to the EU for help in managing a relentless surge of migrant arrivals, after around 40 migrants died when their inflatable boat sank off the coast.

Survivors of the tragedy reported 137 people were on the vessel when it either deflated or exploded shortly before a spate of rescue operations this weekend that saw the Italian navy and coastguard save almost 6,000 people on the sea.

'The war must end now': UN Sec-Gen meets Swedish PM in Stockholm

After a bilateral meeting with Magdalena Andersson on the security situation in Europe, Guterres warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to a global food crisis that would hurt some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

“It is causing immense suffering, destruction and devastation of the country. But it also inflames a three-dimensional global crisis in food, energy and finance that is pummelling the most vulnerable people, countries and economies,” the Portuguese diplomat told a joint press conference with Andersson.

He stressed the need for “quick and decisive action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy,” including “lifting export restrictions, allocating surpluses and reserves to vulnerable populations and addressing food price increases to calm market volatility.”

Between the two, Russia and Ukraine produce around 30 percent of the global wheat supply.

Guterres was in Stockholm to take part in the Stockholm 50+ conference, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment.

The conference, which was held on the suggestion of the Swedish government in 1972 was the first UN meeting to discuss human impacts on the global environment, and led to the establishment of the UN Environment Program (UNEP).

At the joint press conference, Andersson said that discussions continued between Sweden and Turkey over the country’s continuing opposition to Sweden’s application to join the Nato security alliance.

“We have held discussions with Turkey and I’m looking forward to continuing the constructive meetings with Turkey in the near future,” she said, while refusing to go into detail on Turkey’s demands.

“We are going to take the demands which have been made of Sweden directly with them, and the same goes for any misunderstandings which have arisen,” she said.

At the press conference, Guterres condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine as “a violation of its territorial integrity and a violation of the UN Charter”.

“The war must end now,” he said.

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