Status Update since our September Forecast
Working Methods Open Debate
The Council held its annual working methods open debate on 5 September (S/PV.9410). Ambassador Ferit Hoxha (Albania), the chair of the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions, was the briefer. Thirty-seven members, other than Council members, made statements. Ecuador presented a joint statement on behalf of the Council’s elected members (E10). Among the areas covered in the debate were: the use of the veto, penholders, the selection of subsidiary body chairs, implementation of Note 507, the frequency and format of meetings, and the two presidential notes on working methods adopted in August.
UN Peacekeeping
On 7 September, the Security Council held its annual meeting on UN peacekeeping pursuant to resolution 2378 of 20 September 2017 (S/PV.9413). Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix briefed Council members on the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) and the Action for Peacekeeping Plus (A4P+) initiatives. (A4P seeks to enhance the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping and address its key challenges, while A4P+ outlines the main priorities for peacekeeping reform for 2021-2023.) Council members also discussed a 1 September report of the Secretary-General on the overall performance of UN peacekeeping operations (S/2023/646), which was submitted to the Council pursuant to a 31 August 2022 presidential statement on peace and security in Africa.
Sudan
On 13 September, the Security Council convened for an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) (S/PV.9417). Special Representative and head of UNITAMS Volker Perthes briefed on the Secretary-General’s latest 90-day report, dated 31 August, which covered developments from 7 May to 20 August (S/2023/644). Perthes announced at the meeting that he was resigning his post. Edem Wosornu, Director of OCHA’s Operations and Advocacy Division, and Mayada Adil, a civil society representative, also briefed.
Protection of Civilians
On 14 September, Albania convened an open debate on “Advancing public-private humanitarian partnership” under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item (S/PV.9418). Cindy H. McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP); Michael Miebach, CEO of Mastercard; and Jared Cohen, Co-Head of the Office of Applied Innovation and President of Global Affairs at Goldman Sachs, briefed the Council. One of the signature events of Albania’s September Council presidency, the meeting was chaired by Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Igli Hasani.
South Sudan
On 15 September, the Security Council convened for an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) (S/PV.9420). Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and head of UNMISS Nicholas Haysom briefed on the Secretary-General’s latest 90-day report (S/2023/657), which was published on 11 September and covered developments from 1 June to 31 August. Edem Wosornu, the Director of OCHA’s Operations and Advocacy Division, and Racheal Juan, advocacy and peace coordinator for the South Sudan Council of Churches, also briefed.
Informal Interactive Dialogue with the League of Arab States
On 21 September, Security Council members held a high-level informal interactive dialogue (IID) with representatives of the League of Arab States (LAS). Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Igli Hasani chaired the meeting. The briefers were Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, LAS Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and members of the Arab Summit Troika. The Arab Summit Troika is a group of three rotating countries that monitors the implementation of resolutions and commitments adopted by the LAS, which consists of the outgoing, current, and incoming Arab Summit chairs (Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain).
Nagorno-Karabakh
On 21 September, there was a briefing on the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region (S/PV.9422). France requested the meeting following a letter sent by Armenia to the president of the Security Council. The letter cited Article 35 (1) of the UN Charter, which states that any UN member state “may bring any dispute, or any situation referred to in Article 34 [that is, one that may lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute] to the attention of the Security Council or of the General Assembly”. Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenča briefed. Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov participated under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.
Afghanistan
On 26 September, the Security Council held an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on Afghanistan (S/PV.9423). The Council was briefed by Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Roza Otunbayeva; UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous; and Karima Bennoune, a law professor at the University of Michigan Law School and former UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights. Council members who have signed on to the Shared Commitments on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)—Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Gabon, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the UK, and the US—read a joint statement on Afghanistan ahead of the meeting.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
On 29 September, the Security Council held a briefing and closed consultations on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including the work of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) (S/PV.9427). Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of MONUSCO Bintou Keita briefed the Council on the latest developments in DRC and the activities of the mission. The DRC’s Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Christophe Lutundula, and the Rwandan representative, Ambassador Claver Gatete, participated in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. France, the penholder on the DRC, proposed a draft presidential statement following the meeting. At the time of writing, Council members were negotiating the draft.
DPRK (North Korea)
On 29 September, Council members held closed consultations on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Mohamed Khaled Khiari briefed. The meeting was requested by Albania, France, Japan, Malta, the UK, and the US to discuss “developments related to the DPRK’s continued pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions”.
Counter-Terrorism
On 29 September, Council members issued a press statement condemning terrorist attacks that were carried out in Pakistan on the same day (SC/15431). The attacks killed at least 58 people and injured over 80 more.
