Overview
In November, China holds the presidency of the Security Council.
China plans to organise one signature event during the month, which is expected to focus on the peace, security, and development nexus. Secretary-General António Guterres is the anticipated briefer.
In November, the Security Council will hold its annual briefing with the heads of police components of UN peace operations. The anticipated briefers are: Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix; Christophe Bizimungu, the Police Commissioner of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA); Christine Fossen, the Police Commissioner of the UN Mission in the South Sudan (UNMISS); Faisal Shahkar, the UN Police Adviser; and Karin Landgren, the Executive Director of Security Council Report.
African issues on the programme of work in November are:
- Libya, the semi-annual briefing by the ICC Prosecutor concerning cases in the country;
- Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (FC-G5S), briefing and consultations on the activities of the force;
- Sudan/South Sudan, briefing and consultations and mandate renewal of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA);
- Sudan, briefing and consultations on the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) and the mission’s mandate renewal;
- Central African Republic (CAR), renewal of the mandate of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA); and
- Somalia, renewal of the mandate of the 751 Al-Shabaab sanctions regime and its Panel of Experts, and potentially a resolution authorising a technical pause in the drawdown of 3,000 AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) personnel.
Middle East issues on the programme include:
- Syria, monthly meeting on political and humanitarian developments;
- Yemen, the monthly meeting on developments and renewal of the 2140 Yemen sanctions regime and the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the 2140 Yemen Sanctions Committee;
- “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question”, the monthly meeting, with the possibility of additional meetings depending on the situation in Gaza and Israel; and
- Lebanon, consultations on the implementation of resolution 1701, which was adopted in 2006 and called for a cessation of hostilities between the Shi’a group Hezbollah and Israel.
Regarding European issues, the Council is scheduled to hold the semi-annual debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina and to reauthorise the EU-led multinational stabilisation force (EUFOR ALTHEA). There are also likely to be one or more meetings on Ukraine.
Asian issues planned for November are consultations on the work of the 1718 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sanctions Committee and an Informal Interactive Dialogue (IID) on Afghanistan to discuss the independent assessment of the challenges facing the country, as requested in resolution 2679 of 16 March.
Regarding counter-terrorism, the Council is expected to receive a briefing from the chairs of the 1267/1989/2253 Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee, and the 1540 Committee. (Adopted in 2004, resolution 1540 aims to prevent non-state actors from obtaining access to weapons of mass destruction and encourages enhanced international cooperation in this regard.)
The Security Council and General Assembly will both hold elections for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in November.
The 15 current Council members and the incoming five (Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia) will participate in the annual “Hitting the Ground Running” workshop organised by Finland on 2 and 3 November.
Other issues could be raised in November depending on developments.
