Overview

Nigeria will preside over the Security Council in April.

Three open debates are planned. An open debate on women, peace and security, with a focus on sexual violence in conflict will include a briefing by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura, and possibly also by a civil society representative. Also planned, is an open debate on security sector reform, with a briefing from the Secretary-General. The quarterly open debate on the Middle East is also scheduled, with a briefing by Special Coordinator Robert Serry. 

Nigeria is planning a wrap-up session to be held at the end of the month in a private meeting.

A briefing by Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson is planned on the prevention and fight against genocide to mark the twentieth commemoration of the genocide in Rwanda, with a resolution as a likely outcome.

Briefings, followed by consultations, are expected on:

• the AU/UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), by its head Mohamed Ibn Chambas; and
• the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali by its head Albert Koenders. 

Briefings in consultations are likely on:

• Syria, on the chemical weapons track by the Special Coordinator of the OPCW-UN Joint Mission, Sigrid Kaag; and on the implementation of resolution 2139 on humanitarian access by the Humanitarian Coordinator, Valerie Amos;
• South Sudan, by Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Hervé Ladsous;
• Western Sahara, by the Special Representative and head of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber, and Christopher Ross, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara;
• Sudan-South Sudan issues by Special Envoy Haile Menkerios (by videoconferencing);
• Yemen, by Special Advisor Jamal Benomar;
• the work of the 1572 Côte d’Ivoire Sanctions Committee, by its chair, the ambassador of Chile; and
• the work of the 2140 Yemen Sanctions Committee by its chair,  Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaitė (Lithuania);

Formal sessions will be needed to adopt resolutions on:

• security sector reform;
• prevention and fight against genocide;
• the transformation of the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic into a UN peacekeeping operation;
• the review of UNAMID;
• the renewal of the mandate of MINURSO; and
• the renewal of the Côte d’Ivoire sanctions regime and the mandate of the Group of Experts assisting the 1572 Côte d’Ivoire Sanctions Committee. 

In April, Council members will be traveling to Istanbul for a retreat organised by Turkey on cooperation with international organisations. They will also have their annual retreat with the Secretary-General, scheduled for 21-22 April.