The United Kingdom has taken over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council from Switzerland, taking on an ambitious agenda for the month of November. Ambassador Barbara Woodward, the UK’s permanent representative to the UN, highlighted the world’s heightened state of conflict, “the most since World War II.”
The UK presidency will prioritise the crises in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan, focusing on ceasefires, humanitarian aid, and support for Palestinian refugees through the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Ambassador Woodward called for immediate ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon and affirmed the UK’s support for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, with a pathway to rebuilding Gaza. Addressing Russia’s actions in Ukraine, she vowed that the UK will counter Moscow’s “disinformation and expose crimes.”
On Sudan, Woodward condemned human rights abuses and the severe food insecurity affecting over half the population.
