Overview
Kuwait will hold the presidency in June. Three high-level briefings are planned: on protection of civilians and missing persons in armed conflict, on conflict prevention and mediation, and on regional cooperation. All three briefings will be chaired by Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. OCHA Under-Secretary-General Mark Lowcock and a representative from the ICRC are expected to brief at the “missing persons in conflict” meeting. Secretary-General António Guterres; Mary Robinson, the chair of the Elders; and Ban Ki-moon, a deputy chair of the Elders, are the anticipated briefers for the conflict prevention and mediation briefing. Guterres and the League of Arab States (LAS) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit may brief during the third of the meetings, on cooperation between the UN and the LAS.
Kuwait, the chair of the Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions, is also planning to hold an open debate on working methods.
Adoptions are scheduled to renew the Democratic Republic of the Congo sanctions and the authorisation for member states to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya. A further three adoptions are scheduled to renew the mandates of the missions in Darfur (UNAMID), the Golan Heights (UNDOF) and Mali (MINUSMA). Ahead of the adoptions there will be consultations on UNDOF, and briefing and consultations on UNAMID and MINUSMA as well as TCC meetings on all three missions.
Meetings on other African issues this month include:
- Central African Republic, on the activities of MINUSCA;
- Somalia, a briefing by the chair of the 751 Somalia Sanctions Committee;
- South Sudan, on the activities of UNMISS;
- Sudan, the semi-annual briefing by the ICC prosecutor and the quarterly briefing by the chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee; and
- UNOCA/LRA, an update on the activities of UNOCA (Central Africa) and the regional strategy to combat the LRA.
In addition to the monthly meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, other Middle East issues that will be considered include:
- Syria, the monthly briefings on the humanitarian situation, the political process, and the use of chemical weapons;
- Iran, the implementation of resolution 2231, which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear programme; and
- Yemen, an update on the implementation of resolution 2452, which established the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement.
The annual briefing by force commanders will be by commanders of peacekeeping missions in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and Darfur (UNAMID).
In June, the Council will have the second of three briefings on the situation in Kosovo scheduled this year.
Regarding Asian issues there will be the regular debate on Afghanistan.
There may be a Council visiting mission during the month.
Finally, the General Assembly is scheduled to elect five non-permanent Security Council members on 7 June. Six member states—Estonia, Niger, Romania, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Viet Nam—are running for the five available seats. Estonia and Romania are contesting the single Eastern European Group seat, while the other four candidates will run unopposed.
