Executive Director Statement
- Council Programme of Work for Oct
- Council Programme of Work
Interactive Calendar - Council Working Methods
Latest Publications
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15 September 2026
Artificial Intelligence, Geopolitics, and the UN Security Council
Research Report
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly relevant to international peace and security and to the work of the Security Council. It can support conflict prevention, mediation, peace operations, and sanctions monitoring, while also amplifying risks in cyberspace, information environments, and armed conflict. AI is also reshaping geopolitical competition as states and companies seek access to the semiconductors, computing infrastructure, energy, data, and critical minerals needed to develop and deploy advanced systems. As capabilities advance, existing risks may grow in scale and complexity, while increasingly autonomous systems could create new challenges, including the possibility of diminishing human control over consequential decisions and actions. Although Council members’ interest in AI has grown since 2023, the Council’s engagement has remained sporadic, uneven across agenda items, and politically contested.
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2 June 2026
Security Council Elections 2026
Research Report
On 3 June, the 80th session of the UN General Assembly is scheduled to hold elections for membership of the Security Council.
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28 May 2026
The Security Council and the Power of the Pen
Research Report
The penholder system is one of the Security Council’s most consequential informal working methods, shaping not only how Council products are drafted but also who leads negotiations and shapes responses to crisis situations. This system is a central feature of the Council’s decision-making process today. It is also an inherent aspect of how power is distributed and wielded in the Security Council.
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15 May 2026
Mapping the Gap: Between the Promise and Reality of the Security Council’s Protection Agenda
Research Report
Over 25 years since the Security Council adopted resolution 1265 in 1999, establishing the protection of civilians (PoC) as a distinct agenda item, the long-observed gap between the protection framework that it has built and the reality experienced by civilians in armed conflict has never been wider. The Council has at its disposal well-established legal standards, operational tools, and reporting mechanisms developed through a substantial body of thematic and country-specific decisions. What it increasingly lacks is the political will and cohesion to apply them in the situations where they are most urgently needed. As civilian harm in armed conflict surges, the credibility of the Council’s protection framework—and its role in maintaining international peace and security—will be judged not by the norms it articulates but by its willingness to act on them.
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15 April 2026
Power, Process and Participation: The Search for the Next Secretary-General
Research Report
The search for the next UN Secretary-General is unfolding amid rising conflict, intensifying geopolitical tensions, and growing strain on multilateral institutions. At this moment of global uncertainty, the choice of the next Secretary-General will shape both the organisation’s credibility and its ability to navigate in an increasingly fraught international environment.
