Security Council resolution 2373 (2017) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until 31 Aug. 2018]
Symbol: S/RES/2373 (2017)
Date: 2017-08-30
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/72 [57] UN INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON
S/72 [54] MIDDLE EAST SITUATION
S/72 [52] ISRAEL--LEBANON
Subjects: UN Interim Force in Lebanon|Lebanon. Armed Forces|PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|INTERNAL SECURITY|LEBANON|MIDDLE EAST SITUATION
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: BOLIVIA (PLURINATIONAL STATE OF)
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: EGYPT
vote: yes
country: ETHIOPIA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: ITALY
vote: yes
country: JAPAN
vote: yes
country: KAZAKHSTAN
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: SENEGAL
vote: yes
country: SWEDEN
vote: yes
country: UKRAINE
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes
country: URUGUAY
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                   S/RES/2373 (2017)
               Security Council                                               Distr.: General
                                                                              30 August 2017




               Resolution 2373 (2017)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 8037th meeting, on
               30 August 2017

                    The Security Council,
                     Recalling all its previous resolutions on Lebanon, in particular resolutions
               425 (1978), 426 (1978), 1559 (2004), 1680 (2006), 1701 (2006), 1773 (2007),
               1832 (2008), 1884 (2009), 1937 (2010) and 2004 (2011), 2064 (2012), 2115 (2013),
               2172 (2014) and 2236 (2015) as well as the statements of its President on the
               situation in Lebanon and the Press statement dated 19 December 2016,
                    Welcoming the continued progress towards genuine reactivation of the
               Lebanese state institutions: the election of a President of the Republic of Lebanon,
               the nomination of a President of the Council of Ministers, the formation of a
               national unity government and the adoption of a new electoral law as well as the
               announcement of the upcoming legislative elections in Lebanon,
                    Responding to the request of the Government of Lebanon to extend the
               mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a period of
               one year without amendment presented in a letter from the Lebanese Foreign
               Minister to the Secretary-General of 1st of August 2017 and welcoming the letter
               from the Secretary-General to its President of 4 August 2017 (S/2017/680)
               recommending this extension,
                     Reiterating its strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and
               political independence of Lebanon,
                     Reaffirming its commitment to the full implementation of all provisions of
               resolution 1701 (2006), and aware of its responsibilities to help secure a perma nent
               ceasefire and a long-term solution as envisioned in the resolution,
                     Expressing concern at the limited progress made towards the establishment of
               a permanent ceasefire and other key provisions of resolution 1701 (2006) more than
               ten years after its adoption,
                    Calling upon all concerned parties to strengthen their efforts, including by
               exploring concrete solutions with the Special Coordinator of the Secretary -General
               and the UNIFIL Force Commander, to fully implement all provisions of resolution
               1701 (2006) without delay,
                    Expressing deep concern at all violations in connection with resolution
               1701 (2006) in particular the incidents which occurred on 20 April 2017 as




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               underlined by the Secretary General in his report, commending the immediate
               reaction of the Lebanese authorities and recalling the importance of control of the
               Government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory,
                    Underlining the risk that violations of the cessation of hostilities could lead to
               a new conflict that none of the parties or the region can afford,
                     Urging all parties to make every effort to ensure that the cessation of
               hostilities is sustained, exercise maximum calm and restraint and refrain from any
               action or rhetoric that could jeopardize the cessation of hostilities or destabilize the
               region,
                     Emphasizing to all parties the importance of full compliance with the
               prohibition on sales and supply of arms and related materiel established by
               resolution 1701 (2006),
                     Recalling the utmost importance that all parties concerned respect the Blue
               Line in its entirety, welcoming the continued progress in the marking of the Blue
               Line, and encouraging the parties to accelerate their efforts in coordination with
               UNIFIL, including through the tripartite mechanism, to continue working in the
               ongoing process to delineate and visibly mark the B lue Line in its entirety, as well
               as to move forward on the marking of its points of contention, as recommended by
               the Strategic Review,
                     Condemning in the strongest terms all attempts to threaten the security and
               stability of Lebanon,
                     Reaffirming its determination to ensure that no such acts of intimidation
               prevent UNIFIL from implementing its mandate in accordance with Security
               Council resolution 1701 (2006), and recalling the necessity for all parties to ensure
               that UNIFIL personnel are secure and their freedom of movement is fully respected
               and unimpeded,
                    Recalling the relevant principles contained in the Convention on the Safety of
               United Nations and Associated Personnel,
                    Commending the active role and dedication of the personnel of UNIFIL and
               expressing its strong appreciation to Member States that contribute to UNIFIL and
               underlining the necessity that UNIFIL has at its disposal all necessary means and
               equipment to carry out its mandate,
                     Recalling the request from the Government of Lebanon to deploy an
               international force to assist it to exercise its authority throughout the territory, and
               reaffirming UNIFIL’s authority to take all necessary action in areas of operations of
               its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations
               is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind and to resist attempts by forceful
               means to prevent it from discharging its mandate,
                     Welcoming the crucial role played by the Lebanese Armed Forces and security
               forces in extending and sustaining the authority of the Government of Lebanon, in
               particular in southern Lebanon, and responding to other security challenges,
               including the threat of terrorism, and the strong interna tional commitment to support
               the Lebanese Armed Forces, which has helped strengthen the capability of the
               Lebanese Armed Forces to provide security for Lebanon,
                    Welcoming the efforts of the Secretary-General to keep all peacekeeping
               operations, including UNIFIL, under close review, and stressing the need for the
               Council to pursue a rigorous, strategic approach to peacekeeping deployments,




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                 Recognizing the need to regularly review all peacekeeping operations to ensure
           efficiency and effectiveness, including reviews of UNIFIL when appropriate, taking
           into account developments on the ground,
                 Bearing in mind the strategic priorities and recommendations identified by the
           Secretary-General in his letter of 12 March 2012 (S/2012/151) as a result of the
           Strategic Review of UNIFIL, taking note of his letter of 8 March 2017 (S/2017/202)
           as a result of the most recent Strategic Review of UNIFIL, and expressing the need
           for a follow-up and update,
                Calling upon Member States to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces as needed to
           enable it to perform its duties in line with resolution 1701 (2006),
                 Determining that the situation in Lebanon continues to constitute a threat to
           international peace and security,
                1.    Decides to extend the present mandate of UNIFIL until 31 August 2018;
                2.   Commends the positive role of UNIFIL, whose deployment together with
           the Lebanese Armed Forces has helped to establish a new strategic environment in
           southern Lebanon, welcomes the expansion of coordinated activities between
           UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces, and calls for further enhancement of this
           cooperation;
               3.    Affirms its strong continuing commitment to the existing UNIFIL
           mandate and calls for the full implementation of resolution 1701 (2006);
                4.    Reiterates its call for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent
           ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the principles and elements set out in
           paragraph 8 of resolution 1701 (2006);
                 5.    Reaffirms the necessity of an effective and durable deployment of the
           Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon and the territorial waters of Lebanon
           at an accelerated pace to fully implement the provisions of resolution 1701 (2006)
           and requests the Secretary-General to include in his future reports assessments of
           progress made in this regard and calls for renewed engagement of UNIFIL and the
           Lebanese Armed Forces in the Strategic Dialogue, which aims at carrying out
           analysis of ground forces and maritime assets and setting a series of benchmarks
           reflecting the correlation between the capacities and responsibilities of UNIFIL vis -
           à-vis those of the Lebanese Armed Forces, with precise timelines to be jointly and
           promptly elaborated by the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Secretary-General, with
           a view to identifying Lebanese Armed Forces progress in implementing tasks
           mandated in resolution 1701 (2006);
                6.    Welcomes in this regard the intention of the Government of Lebanon to
           deploy a model regiment and of an offshore patrol vessel in UNIFIL’s area of
           operations to advance the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006) and the
           authority of the Lebanese State as noted in the 2016-2017 Strategic Review;
                 7.    Urges further international support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, in
           response to the capabilities development plan of the Lebanese Armed Forces, as
           well as in the framework of the International Support Group for Lebanon, through
           additional and expedited assistance in areas where the Lebanese Armed Forces are
           most critically in need of support, including counter -terrorism and border
           protection;
                8.    Strongly calls upon all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities, to
           prevent any violation of the Blue Line and to respect it in its entirety and to
           cooperate fully with the United Nations and UNIFIL;



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                     9.    Welcomes the constructive role played by the Tripartite Mechanism in
               facilitating coordination and in de-escalating tensions, which has helped to further
               stabilize the situation along the Blue Line and build trust between the parties, and
               expresses in this regard strong support for the efforts of UNIFIL to engage with both
               parties to facilitate liaison, coordination, and practical arrangements on the ground
               and to continue to ensure that the Tripartite Mechanism enables the parties to
               discuss a wider range of issues;
                     10. Urges all parties to abide scrupulously by their obligation to respe ct the
               safety of UNIFIL and other United Nations personnel and to ensure that the freedom
               of movement of UNIFIL is fully respected and unimpeded, in conformity with its
               mandate and its rules of engagement including by avoiding any course of action
               which endangers United Nations personnel, and in this regard, calls for further
               cooperation between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces in particular
               regarding coordinated and adjacent patrols, welcomes the commitment of the
               Lebanese authorities to protect UNIFIL movements and reiterates its call for the
               rapid finalization of the investigation launched by Lebanon regarding the 27 May,
               26 July and 9 December 2011 attacks in order to bring to justice the perpetrators of
               these attacks;
                     11. Urges all parties to cooperate fully with the Security Council and the
               Secretary-General to make tangible progress towards a permanent ceasefire and a
               long-term solution as envisioned in resolution 1701 (2006) and on all outstanding
               issues in the implementation of Security Council resolutions 1701 (2006), 1680
               (2006) and 1559 (2004), and other relevant Security Council resolutions;
                     12. Urges the Government of Israel to expedite the withdrawal of its army
               from northern Ghajar without further delay in coordination with UNIFIL, which has
               actively engaged Israel and Lebanon to facilitate such a withdrawal;
                     13. Reaffirms its call on all States to fully support and respect the
               establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani River of an area free of any
               armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of
               Lebanon and UNIFIL;
                      14. Acting in support of a request from the Government of Lebanon to
               deploy an international force to assist it to exercise its authority throughout the
               territory, recalls its authorization to UNIFIL to take all necessary action in areas of
               deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its
               area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind, to resist attempts
               by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its duties under the mandate of the
               Security Council, and to protect United Nations personnel, facilities, installations
               and equipment, ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nations
               personnel, humanitarian workers and, without prejudice to the respons ibility of the
               Government of Lebanon, to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical
               violence;
                     15. Requests the Secretary General to look at ways to enhance UNIFIL’s
               efforts as regards paragraph 12 of resolution 1701 (2006) and paragraph 14 of this
               resolution, including ways to increase UNIFIL’s visible presence, including through
               patrols and inspections, within its existing mandate and capabilities;
                     16. Recalls the decision that UNIFIL shall assist the government of Lebanon,
               at its request, as set out in paragraph 14 of resolution 1701 (2006) and within its
               capabilities, to implement resolution 1701 (2006);
                    17. Welcomes the efforts being undertaken by UNIFIL to implement the
               Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to
               ensure full compliance of its personnel with the United Nations code of conduct,

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           requests the Secretary-General to continue to take all necessary action in this regard
           and to keep the Security Council informed, and urges troop -contributing countries
           to take preventive and disciplinary action to ensure that such acts are properly
           investigated and punished in cases involving their personnel;
                 18. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to report to the Council on
           the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006), every four months, or at any time as
           he deems appropriate, and to include in his reporting a prompt and detailed
           breakdown of all resolution 1701 (2006) violations, prompt and detailed reports on
           violations of the sovereignty of Lebanon, prompt and detailed reports on the
           restrictions to UNIFIL’s freedom of movement, reports on specific areas where
           UNIFIL does not access and on the reasons behind these restrictions, potential risks
           to the cessation of hostilities and UNIFIL’s response as we ll as reports on the
           implementation of the recommendations of the 2016 -2017 Strategic review and on
           additional identified efficiencies to most appropriately fulfil its mandated tasks;
           requests the Secretary-General to further develop a reporting mechanism in order to
           provide concrete and detailed information on the aforementioned issues to the
           Council;
                 19. Stresses the importance of, and the need to achieve, a comprehensive,
           just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions
           including its resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967, 338 (1973) of
           22 October 1973, 1515 (2003) of 19 November 2003 and 1850 (2008) of
           16 December 2008;
                20.   Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.




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