The UN has emphasized the necessity for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to continue its mission, citing incomplete implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 related to the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, a UN official said on Friday.
The mandate of UNIFIL will expire this August. Therefore, the Lebanese government has requested an extension until August 31 of next year.
Speaking at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, briefed the media on reports that Israel and the United States may oppose the extension of the UNIFIL mandate.
"To the best of my knowledge, first of all, there is no final position, no position presented as final that has been expressed neither by Israel nor by the United States. We too believe that the role of UNIFIL continues to be very important in this critical phase, where we have not yet seen full implementation of Resolution 1701. We believe that continues to be an indispensable role for UNIFIL in support of those efforts aimed at fully implementing Resolution 1701," said Lacroix.
Lacroix emphasized the crucial role of UN peacekeeping in Lebanon, highlighting its contributions to maintaining stability and security in the region.
"To the best of my knowledge, neither Israel nor Lebanon nor any other member states have walked away from their commitment to and support for Resolution 1701 as the political platform for a political solution," he said.
UNIFIL was established in 1978 following the first Israeli invasion of Lebanon to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and to assist the Lebanese government in reestablishing authority over the area. It currently deploys around 10,000 peacekeepers from about 50 countries.
UN official stresses necessity for extension of UNIFIL mandate
UN official stresses necessity for extension of UNIFIL mandate
Chinese President Xi Jinping's New Year message delivered on the New Year Eve has drawn positive responses from scholars and former officials from several countries, who say that the series of global initiatives proposed by Xi have provided fresh momentum for multilateralism and shared development at a time of growing uncertainty.
While the reactions touched on the broader vision outlined in Xi's New Year message, they also focused on the initiatives Xi has put forward over recent years, particularly the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the newly proposed Global Governance Initiative.
Highlighting the significant importance of these initiatives, they have emphasized the need for equality, inclusiveness and a fairer international order.
"We need a more just international order and a truly multilateral system. China stands almost alone today as a global force actively advancing genuine multilateralism. Therefore, these initiatives are most welcome," said Michael Schumann, chairman of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade.
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has placed the emphasis on dialogue and trust-building between civilizations.
"It is essential now more than ever to promote communication and understanding between China and the world to enhance cultural exchanges and build mutual trust. As President Xi has repeatedly emphasized, China supports principles of unity, inclusiveness and peacefulness. These values should guide our collective efforts to build bridges rather than walls," he said.
From a governance perspective, Russian scholar Ekaterina Zaklyazminskaya, head of the Center for World Politics and Strategic Analysis at the Institute of China and Modern Asia under the Russian Academy of Sciences, has viewed the Global Governance Initiative as a structured response to global challenges.
"The recently proposed Global Governance Initiative presents a comprehensive framework of ideas. It prioritizes establishing a more just international order, champions multilateralism, and upholds the principle of 'people first.' Through its concrete practices, financial assistance, and tangible support for multilateral bodies like the U.N., China has demonstrated that its commitments are substantive. China is taking tangible steps toward a fairer and more reasonable global governance system," she said.
Scholars from the Global South also have seen historical echoes in the initiatives.
"Some of the developed and developing countries have highly welcomed the Global Development Initiative, because this initiative emphasizes the need for partnerships -- partnerships that commit resources to end global poverty and pursue common and shared development. The Global Governance Initiative, in my view, echoes again the call that was made by Asian [and] African countries at the Bandung Conference in 1955 for equality, for mutual respect, for respect of territorial integrity, [and] for respect of sovereignty," said Bongani Maimele, director of international relations at South Africa's National School of Government.
"These initiatives are revolutionary in nature. They are reshaping the political philosophy of global governance. Today's world is far more complex than it was 80 years ago, and interdependence among nations has deepened. Therefore, we need new philosophical perspectives to examine our world and new models of engagement to foster a new type of international relations," said Sheradil Baktygulov, director of Kyrgyzstan's Institute of World Policy.
Int'l scholars praise Xi's initiatives, call for stronger multilateralism
