Overview
In September, the Republic of Korea (ROK) will hold the presidency of the Security Council.
The ROK plans to organise one signature event, a high-level open debate on artificial intelligence (AI) under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. ROK President Lee Jae Myung is expected to chair the meeting, which will be held during the UN General Assembly’s high-level segment. Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as two other representatives, one from the industry and another from academia, are expected to brief.
In September, the Security Council will also hold an open debate on peacekeeping reform pursuant to resolution 2378 of 20 September 2017. The focus of the discussion will be the review of all forms of UN peace operations requested by the Pact for the Future, the outcome document of the 2024 Summit of the Future. The anticipated briefers are Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix; Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo; the chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), Ambassador Ricklef Johannes Beutin (Germany); and Jenna Russo, the Director of Research and Head of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations at the International Peace Institute (IPI).
Additionally, Council members are expected to hold a high-level informal interactive dialogue (IID) with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (LAS), Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and members of the Arab Summit Troika—a group of three rotating countries that monitor the implementation of resolutions and commitments adopted by the LAS, which consists of the outgoing, current, and incoming Arab Summit chairs. The ROK’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cho Hyun, will chair the meeting, which is being convened in accordance with a 29 January 2021 Security Council presidential statement (S/PRST/2021/2) that encouraged the holding of an informal meeting between Council members and LAS representatives on the margins of the General Assembly’s high-level segment.
Middle Eastern issues on the programme of work are:
- Syria, meetings on the political, humanitarian, and chemical weapons tracks;
- Yemen, monthly briefing and consultations; and
- “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”, the monthly meeting, with the possibility of additional meetings depending on developments.
African issues on the programme of work in September are:
- Sudan, renewal of the Sudan sanctions regime; and
- Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), briefing and consultations on the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
There will also be a briefing and consultations on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the one Asian issue expected to be discussed in September.
This month, the Security Council will consider reconfiguring the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti, the mandate of which expires on 2 October, as well as the establishment of a related UN Support Office.
As in previous months, the Council may hold one or more meetings on Ukraine in September. It may also discuss developments related to Iran and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after France, Germany, and the UK (the E3) initiated on 28 August the “snapback” mechanism to re-impose UN sanctions on Iran. Other issues could be raised during the month depending on developments.
