Delivered By: Her Excellency Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative

Madam President,

I would also like to start by thanking the penholder, the United States, for facilitating consultations on the resolution. The UAE reaffirms our commitment – alongside Council members – to supporting all efforts towards peace and stability in South Sudan.

We engaged constructively in the negotiations on this resolution, and felt it was crucial that regional perspectives, including and most importantly those of South Sudan, were taken into account when considering Council resolutions, particularly those related to sanctions regimes. During the negotiations on this text, we consistently sought to amplify those regional perspectives as put forward by the A3.

While we had hoped that the Council would be able to find a path to consensus, the UAE nonetheless voted in favor of the text. We did so as it signals that the sanctions regime is responsive to progress on the ground and because it reflects the further achievements made to the benchmarks established by this Council, and this trajectory needs to be continued.

We look forward to further progress in adjusting the sanctions regime to reflect the ongoing situation in South Sudan.

Thank you, Madam President.