Overview
In December, the US will hold the presidency of the Security Council.
The US plans to organise two signature events during the month. The first will be a briefing on women, peace and security (WPS) focused on the power of intergenerational dialogues and partnerships between young and senior women peacebuilders in advancing peace and security.
The second signature event is a briefing on artificial intelligence (AI) under the agenda item “Maintenance of international peace and security”.
There may be a ministerial-level meeting on a country-specific issue towards the end of the month, but the topic had yet to be confirmed at the time of writing.
The US also intends to convene a briefing on Ukraine.
In December, the Council is scheduled to hold its semi-annual debate on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).
Council members are also expected to vote on a draft resolution extending the application of the standing humanitarian exemption created by resolution 2664 of 9 December 2022 to the 1267/1989/2253 Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions regime. (While resolution 2664 applied to all other UN sanctions regimes indefinitely, it modified the 1267/1989/2253 regime for an initial two-year period.)
The outgoing chairs of the Security Council’s subsidiary bodies are also expected to brief the Council on their experiences in facilitating the work of those bodies.
African issues that are expected to be discussed in December are:
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), briefing and consultations on the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and renewal of MONUSCO’s mandate;
- Sudan, briefing by the chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee;
- Somalia, vote on two draft resolutions: one renewing the sanctions measures against Al-Shabaab and another on the successor mission to the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), whose mandate expires on 31 December;
- Central Africa region, briefing and consultations on the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) and the implementation of the UN’s regional strategy to combat the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA);
- Libya, briefing and consultations on the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL); and
- West Africa and the Sahel, briefing and consultations on the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
Middle Eastern issues that will be addressed this month include:
- Syria, meetings on the political, humanitarian, and chemical weapons tracks;
- Iraq, briefing and consultations on the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI);
- “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question”, two scheduled meetings: the regular monthly meeting and a briefing from Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator (SHRC) for Gaza Sigrid Kaag in line with resolution 2720 of 22 December 2023;
- Yemen, the monthly meeting on developments; and
- Golan, consultations on the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and UNDOF’s mandate renewal.
The only Asian issue planned in December is Afghanistan. The Council will hold its quarterly meeting on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and renew the mandate of the Monitoring Team assisting the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee.
On the Americas, there will be a briefing by the chair of the 2653 Haiti Sanctions Committee.
Regarding non-proliferation, the Council is expected to receive a briefing on the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of resolution 2231 of 20 July 2015, which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Other issues could be raised in December depending on developments in contexts such as Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Lebanon, Syria, and Ukraine. Council members are also currently negotiating several draft resolutions, including on Myanmar and children and armed conflict, which may be voted on during the month.
