Overview
India will have the presidency of the Security Council in November. Two open debates are planned on piracy as a global threat and on the Council’s working methods.
Debates are scheduled on Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a briefing by High Representative Valentin Inzko; on Timor-Leste, with a briefing by the acting head of the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste Finn Reske-Nielsen; and on the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, with a briefing by its head, Farid Zarif.
Early in the month several Council members will undertake a visiting mission to Timor-Leste.
Mid-month members will participate in the annual “Hitting the Ground Running” workshop organised by Finland for the newly elected Council members.
Briefings are expected on:
- the 1267/1989 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee (chaired by Germany); the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee (chaired by India); and the 1540 Committee concerning weapons of mass destruction (chaired by South Africa)—this joint briefing may be followed by a debate;
- the situation in Yemen, by Special Adviser Jamal Benomar;
- the visiting mission to Timor-Leste, by Ambassador Baso Sangqu (South Africa) who is leading the delegation; and
- Libya and the ICC by the Court’s Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda.
Briefings to be followed by consultations are likely on:
- the UN Support Mission in Libya by the head of Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman;
- the UN Mission in South Sudan, by the head of Peacekeeping, Hervé Ladsous;
- the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq by its head, Martin Kobler;
- the situation in the DRC by the head of the UN Stabilisation Mission in the DRC, Roger Meece;
- the situation in the Middle East, also by Feltman; and
- the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee (chaired by Portugal).
Briefings in consultations are likely on:
- Western Sahara, by Personal Envoy Christopher Ross;
- Sudan and South Sudan, most likely by Special Envoy Haile Menkerios;
- the implementation of resolution 1701, by Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly;
- the Somalia/Eritrea Sanctions Committee (chaired by India);
- the DRC Sanctions Committee (chaired by Azerbaijan);
- the DPRK Sanctions Committee (chaired by Portugal); and
- the Secretary-General’s report on illicit cross-border trafficking and movement requested in an April presidential statement (S/PRST/2012/16).
In addition, briefings and consultations are possible on developments in Guinea-Bissau, Syria, Sierra Leone following the elections scheduled for 17 November, and on the plans for an international force in Mali.
Formal sessions will be needed to adopt resolutions to renew:
- the mandate of UN Interim Security Force in Abyei;
- the DRC sanctions and the mandate of the Group of Experts;
- the authorisation of the Somalia anti-piracy measures; and
- the authorisation of the EU-led multinational stabilisation force in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Council will adopt and present its annual report of the Security Council to the General Assembly in November.
At press time, it also seemed that some Council meetings, which were cancelled when UN Headquarters closed down due to Hurricane Sandy, would be rescheduled in November, including 1559 consultations (Lebanon) and a private meeting with the president of the International Court of Justice.
