June 2023 Monthly Forecast

Overview

In June, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) holds the presidency of the UN Security Council.

The UAE is expected to convene three signature events during its presidency. The first is a briefing on cooperation between the UN and the League of Arab States (LAS). A senior UN official, LAS Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and an Arab youth civil society representative are the anticipated briefers. Khalifa Shaheen Almarar, Minister of State at the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, is expected to chair the meeting.

The second signature event will be an open debate on climate, peace and security under the “Threats to international peace and security” agenda item. Mariam Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, will chair the meeting.

The third signature event this month is a briefing on “The values of human fraternity in promoting and sustaining peace” under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Muhammed Ahmed Aṭ-Ṭayyeb, are expected to brief. A high-level representative of the Holy See is also an anticipated briefer.

The Security Council is scheduled to hold its semi-annual debate on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). The IRMCT’s president, Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, and its prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, are expected to brief.

In addition to the briefing on cooperation between the UN and the LAS, other Middle East issues on the programme this month are:

Several African issues are on the programme in June:

Afghanistan is the one Asian issue on the programme this month, with a meeting planned on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

There may be one or more meetings on Ukraine in June, and other issues could also be raised during the month, depending on developments.

The General Assembly is scheduled to vote to elect five new members to the Security Council on 6 June. Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, and Sierra Leone are running uncontested; Belarus and Slovenia are vying for the Eastern European seat.

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