Overview

Venezuela has planned two open debates during its presidency of the Security Council in February. One will be at ministerial-level and will focus on the UN Charter, with the Secretary-General among the briefers and Venezuela’s Foreign Minister presiding. The second will be on post-conflict peacebuilding and the review of the peacebuilding architecture.

Venezuela has also organised a debate on Security Council working methods with an emphasis on sanctions committees. Other sanctions-related activities this month are briefings by:

• Senegal as the chair of the 2206 South Sudan Sanctions Committee ahead of the renewal of the sanctions regime and the Panel of Experts;
• Venezuela as the chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee ahead of the renewal of the Panel of Experts;
• Venezuela as the chair of the 751/1907 Somalia-Eritrea Sanctions Committee;
• Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman on the Secretary-General’s strategic report on UN efforts in support of member states in countering ISIS, as requested by resolution 2253 that created the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee;
• Spain as the chair of the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee—separately, the Council may adopt a resolution in response to the DPRK’s 6 January nuclear test; and
• Japan as the chair of the 2140 Yemen Sanctions Committee ahead of the renewal of the sanctions regime and the Panel of Experts.

African issues on the Council’s programme of work include briefings by:

• Special Representative Miguel Trovoada on Guinea-Bissau ahead of the renewal of UNIOGBIS;
• Special Representative Margrethe Løj on UNMISS in South Sudan; and
• Special Envoy Haile Menkerios on Sudan/South Sudan issues.

On the Middle East, the Council is expected to consider:

• Iraq, with a briefing by Special Representative Ján Kubiš on UNAMI;
• Israel/Palestine, with the regular briefing by Feltman;
• Syria, with a briefing by Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura on the political process, as well as briefings later in the month on the humanitarian and chemical weapons tracks; and
• Yemen, with a briefing by Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

Regarding other regions:

• Special Representative Petko Draganov will brief on the activities of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA).  
• There will be a briefing by Special Representative Zahir Tanin on UNMIK in Kosovo.
• Developments regarding the establishment of a new political mission in Colombia to monitor and verify the bilateral ceasefire between the government and FARC-EP will likely require attention. 

While not confirmed at press time, a briefing by the Chairperson in Office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe seemed likely.

Finally, a technical resolution extending the term of the prosecutor for the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals is expected to be adopted in February.