Programme of Work for June 2021
Estonia is the president of the Security Council in June. The Council adopted its provisional programme of work for the month today (1 June). It is expected to hold in-person meetings this month, although high-level meetings will likely continue to be held by videoconference (VTC).
Estonia has chosen to convene three high-level open debates this month. The annual debate on children and armed conflict will be chaired by Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid and is expected to take place at ministerial level. Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to present his annual report on children and armed conflict. Other speakers are likely to include the Executive Director of UNICEF, Henrietta Fore, and a civil society briefer.
There will also be a ministerial-level open debate on cybersecurity. Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, is expected to chair the meeting. The anticipated briefer is High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu. This will be the Council’s first formal meeting on cybersecurity.
The annual open debate on working methods will take place in June. The expected briefers are Ambassador I. Rhonda King (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) as the chair of the Informal Working Group on Working Methods; Loraine Sievers, co-author of “The Procedure of the UN Security Council (4th edition)”; and Karin Landgren, Executive Director of Security Council Report.
The quarterly debate on Afghanistan will be held at ministerial level. Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eva-Maria Liimets, is expected to chair the meeting. Deborah Lyons, the Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), is expected to brief. An official from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and a civil society representative may also brief.
In June, the Council will hold its annual meeting on cooperation between the UN and the EU with a briefing by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
This month, the Security Council is expected to adopt a resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS). Also on Sudan, the Council will receive briefings by ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and by the chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Sven Jürgenson (Estonia).
The Council is scheduled to renew the authorisation for member states, acting nationally or through regional organisations, to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya, bound to or from the country, that they have reasonable grounds to believe are violating the arms embargo.
The mandate of the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is expected to be renewed this month. A briefing and consultations on Mali are scheduled, featuring a briefing by Special Representative and head of MINUSMA El-Ghassim Wane. Council members are likely to pay close attention to the situation in the country following the recent coup and may hold further meetings as necessary.
The Council is also expected to vote on the renewal of the 1533 Democratic Republic of the Congo sanctions regime and the mandate of its Group of Experts.
Several other meetings on Africa are scheduled this month.
There will be an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA). François Louncény Fall, Special Representative and head of UNOCA, is expected to brief on the Secretary-General’s semi-annual report on UNOCA and the implementation of the UN’s regional strategy to combat the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
The Chair of the 751 Somalia Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason (Ireland), will deliver her 120-day periodic briefing to the Council on the activities of the committee.
The Security Council will also convene for an open briefing and closed consultations on South Sudan. Special Representative and head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Nicholas Haysom is expected to brief on the Secretary-General’s 90-day report on the mission.
There will also be a meeting on the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). The expected briefer is Mankeur Ndiaye, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Central African Republic and head of MINUSCA. Representatives of the AU and the EU may also brief.
There are a number of meetings on the Middle East on the programme this month. There will be the monthly meetings on the chemical weapons, political and humanitarian tracks in Syria.
Two meetings are expected on Yemen in June: one focusing on the FSO SAFER oil tanker, with briefings expected from the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, and OCHA’s Director of Operations and Advocacy, Reena Ghelani. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the briefing. The Council will also hold its monthly briefing on Yemen, followed by consultations. Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock will likely brief.
The Security Council is expected to adopt a resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights (UNDOF). Council members will also receive a briefing from the Department of Peace Operations on the Secretary-General’s latest 90-day report on the mission.
There will also be the monthly meeting on the “Middle East, including the Palestinian Question”. The expected briefer is Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland.
The Security Council is also scheduled to receive the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of resolution 2231, which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear programme in 2015. The Council also expects reports from the Joint Commission, established by the parties to the JCPOA to oversee its implementation, and from the Council’s 2231 facilitator, Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason (Ireland). Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo and a representative of the EU in its capacity as coordinator of the Joint Commission are also expected to brief.
In June, the Security Council will receive a briefing from the Special Representative and head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), Helen La Lime, on recent developments and the Secretary-General’s latest report on BINUH. A civil society representative may also brief.
The Council will also hold its semi-annual debate on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). The IRMCT’s president, Judge Carmel Agius, and its prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, are expected to brief.
Also in June, the General Assembly is expected to elect five new Security Council members for the 2022-2023 term.
The Council will be closely watching developments in Myanmar and Tigray and may meet on the selection of the next Secretary-General.
