Photo taken on March 15, 2019 shows the United Nations Security Council holding a meeting on the situation in Sudan and South Sudan, at the UN headquarters in New York. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
UNITED NATIONS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council on Friday voted to extend the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for an additional year till March 15, 2020.
The resolution, drafted by the United States, received 14 votes in favor from the 15-member Security Council and one abstention from Russia.
While the mandate is essentially the same, some new text has been added to this year's draft in an effort to reinforce the mission's good offices role, to bolster its efforts to address sexual violence, and to facilitate efforts by internally displaced persons (IDPs) from UN protection of civilians sites to return home, according to the newly adopted Resolution 2459.
The Security Council also decides to maintain the overall force levels at the troop ceiling of 17,000 troops and the police ceiling of 2,101 police personnel.
The four core elements of the mandate remain largely unchanged, namely protecting civilians, creating the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, monitoring and investigating human rights, and supporting the peace process, according to the resolution.
