Overview

Lebanon will preside over the Council in May, in what promises to be a very busy month, with mandates of four operations up for renewal, a Council trip to the DRC (postponed from April), an open debate and a large number of briefings and consultations.

The semi-annual briefing by the three chairs of the Council counter-terrorism committees will be an occasion for an open debate.

Debates are expected on Kosovo and the periodic report on the operation there, UNMIK; on Somalia, on the occasion of the consolidated report by the Secretary-General and the AU operation in Somalia, AMISOM; and on Bosnia and Herzegovina, following the semi-annual report by the High Representative.

The Africa trip prior to the renewal of MONUC, the operation in the DRC, originally planned for April and scheduled to include three countries (Rwanda and Uganda, in addition to the host country) was postponed due to travel restrictions caused by the volcanic ash cloud over Europe and will now be much shorter and only involve Kinshasa. The mission is currently scheduled to leave towards the middle of the month.

The Council will likely be receiving several briefings on:

• EU-UN cooperation from the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton;
• the mission in Nepal, probably by UNMIN’s head Karin Landgren;
• the UN-AU hybrid operation in Darfur, UNAMID;
• the Middle East;
• the peacekeeping operation in Côte d’Ivoire, UNOCI;
• the ninety-day report on the operation in Iraq, UNAMI; and
• the Council trip to the DRC.

The DRC Sanctions Committee is expected to receive a briefing from its Group of Experts.

Consultations are likely to be held on:

• the operation in Chad/CAR, MINURCAT, probably including a briefing by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations;
• the electoral process in Burundi, with a likely briefing by Charles Petrie, the head of the UN Integrated Office, BINUB;
• the possible extension of the mission in Nepal, UNMIN;
• the DPRK (North Korea) including on the work of the sanctions committee (the 1718 Committee);
• the Middle East, following the monthly briefing;
• the operation in the DRC, MONUC;
• UNAMID in Darfur;
• UNAMI in Iraq; and
• UN peacekeeping operations as part of a newly established practice to hold regular interactive consultations with the Secretariat on this matter.

Over the course of the month informal meetings involving some or all Council members are likely to be held on Iran.

Formal sessions are expected to adopt resolutions on:

• the renewal of the rolled over mandate of MINURCATin Chad and the Central African Republic;
• the renewal of the peacekeeping operation in Côte d’Ivoire, UNOCI;
• the renewal of MONUC in the DRC; and
• the likely extension of the mission in Nepal, UNMIN.

Full forecast