What's In Blue

Posted Tue 1 Oct 2019

Programme of Work for October 2019

South Africa is the president of the Security Council in October.  It has chosen to initiate two debates on peace and security in Africa. The first, scheduled for tomorrow (2 October), will focus on mobilising youth towards “Silencing the Guns” by 2020. Special Adviser on Africa to the Secretary-General Bience Gawanas, AU Special Envoy on Youth Aya Chebbi, and a youth activist are the anticipated briefers. A presidential statement will be considered on this issue during the month.

The second debate is on preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention and resolution. Secretary-General António Guterres will brief, and AU Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat and a civil society representative may brief as well. The Council may pursue a presidential statement on this issue during the month.

Many other African issues will be addressed in October. Early in the month, the Council will adopt a resolution renewing the authorisation for member states, acting nationally or through regional organisations, to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya that they have reasonable grounds to suspect are being used for migrant smuggling or human trafficking.

The Council is expected to decide by 15 October whether to adopt a resolution extending the mission’s support for the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM), established in 2011 to conduct monitoring and verification activities along the Sudan-South Sudan border as part of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). It is also scheduled to receive briefings, followed by consultations, on UNISFA and Sudan/South Sudan, from Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, respectively.

The situation in Darfur will feature prominently in the programme. Ambassador Joanna Wronecka (Poland), the chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee, will brief the Council on the committee’s work.  Lacroix will brief the Council on the work of the AU/UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID); his briefing will be followed by consultations.  Later in the month, the Council is scheduled to adopt a resolution renewing the UNAMID mandate.

Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia will brief the Council on this region. Consultations will follow.

Consultations are anticipated on the activities of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), with Special Representative and head of MINURSO Colin Stewart expected to brief members. This will be preceded several days earlier by a meeting with MINURSO troop-contributing countries. The Council will also adopt a resolution renewing the mandate of MINURSO before the end of the month.

The Council is expected to hold a briefing, followed by consultations, on the work of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Special Representative and head of MINUSMA Mahamat Saleh Annadif will provide the briefing via video-teleconference.

Special Representative and head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) Leila Zerrougui will brief the Council via video-teleconference on MONUSCO’s work. Consultations will ensue.

A briefing, followed by consultations, is scheduled on the activities of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).  Special Representative and head of MINUSCA Mankeur Ndiaye will provide the briefing.

Late in the month, Special Envoy Michel Kafando will brief the Council on Burundi. This will be followed by consultations.

Consultations are also anticipated on the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau in October.

There will be a briefing on the work of the 751 Somalia Sanctions Committee as well.

Security Council members will hold their 13th annual consultative meeting with the members of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Members of both bodies will also hold informal consultations ahead of this meeting.) UN Security Council members will continue on from Addis Ababa to South Sudan.  After this trip, the Council will receive a briefing on the Secretary-General’s annual report on ways to strengthen the partnership between the UN and AU on issues of peace and security in Africa, including on the work of the UN Office to the AU. 

Several issues related to the Middle East are also on the programme this month. The quarterly open debate on the Middle East (Israel/Palestine) is expected late in the month.  On Syria, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu is expected to brief in consultations on the use of chemical weapons, while Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ursula Mueller will provide a briefing to the Council, followed by consultations, on the humanitarian situation in the country.  A Syria political briefing is not anticipated in October.

The Council will hold its monthly briefing on Yemen. Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock, and Kamel Jendoubi, chair of the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen, are expected to brief. Consultations will follow. General Abhijit Guha, chair of Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), is expected to participate in the consultations.

Consultations are also scheduled on the activities of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights and the implementation of resolution 1559 (2004), which called for the disarmament of all militias and the extension of government control over all Lebanese territory. Lacroix is expected to brief members on UNDOF, while Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo will brief on the implementation of resolution 1559.

The Council is expected to hold its last debate on the UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) before it transitions to the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), a special political mission (SPM), on 16 October. Members might adopt a Council product welcoming the transition.

Another Latin American issue to be discussed is Colombia, with a briefing and consultations on the report on the UN Verification Mission in that country. Special Representative and head of the Verification Mission Carlos Ruiz Massieu will provide the briefing.

The one European issue on the programme this month is Kosovo. Special Representative and head of of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Zahir Tanin will brief the Council on this issue.

The Council expects to hold its annual open debate on women, peace and security late this month. The debate may be held at a high level. The Secretary-General, a representative from UN Women, an AU representative, and a civil society representative are among the potential briefers. South Africa is pursuing a resolution as an outcome.

The annual briefing by President of the International Court of Justice Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf will take place in a private meeting.

Non-proliferation and Ukraine are in the footnotes of the programme. Meetings on these and other issues not currently on the programme could be held during the course of the month.

Sign up for What's In Blue emails

Subscribe to receive SCR publications