Overview
France has the Presidency of the Council in May. A number of debates are planned. An open debate on protection of civilians in armed conflict is scheduled. France also proposed a debate on the Democratic Republic of Congo to reenergise Council thinking on that situation.France intends that the debate be presided by the French Minister for Cooperation, Henri de Raincourt. Debates are also planned on Bosnia and Hezegovina, Somalia and Kosovo. An open debate may also be held on the occasion of the six-monthly briefing by the chairs of the three counterterrorism committees.
All the debates will be preceded by briefings on:
- protection of civilians, likely by Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy and Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic and possibly others;
- the DRC, most likely by Special Representative Roger Meece and by a representative of the World Bank;
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, by the High Representative, Valentin Inzko;
- Somalia, by the Special Representative Augustine Mahiga;
- Kosovo, by the Special Representative Lamberto Zannier; and
- counterterrorism, by the chairs of the three Council subsidiary bodies on the subject: Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee Chairman Ambassador Peter Wittig (Germany), Counterterrorism Committee Chairman Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri (India) and weapons of mass destruction and terrorism Committee Chairman Ambassador Baso Sangqu (South Africa).
Other briefings expected in May are: by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, on current issues of concern (in consultations);
- on Libya, by ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo;
- on the report regarding international civilian capacitiesby chairman of the Advisory Group Jean-Marie Guéhenno, and also Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Susana Malcorra;
- on Burundi by the Special Representative Karin Landgren;
- on the Middle East (the monthly briefing by the Secretariat);
- on South Sudanfrom the Secretariat with recommendations on the mandate and composition of the new UN mission in South Sudan;
- on Lebanon by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Implementation of resolution 1559 Terje Roed-Larsen (in consultations);
- on the situation in Chad following the withdrawal of MINURCAT, by OCHA’s head Valerie Amos (in consultations);
- on the work of the DPRK SanctionsCommittee by its Chairman Ambassador José Filipe Moraes Cabral of Portugal (in consultations); and
- on the situation in Libya, by the Secretariat (in consultations).
Consultations are also expected on Burundi, the Middle East and Sudan.
In late May, Council members will travel to Africa, including to Addis Ababa, for annual consultations with the Peace and Security Council of the AU, and to Sudan and to Nairobi for discussions on Somalia.
