Overview
In February, the UK will hold the presidency of the Security Council.
The UK is planning to focus on two specific mandated meetings, which UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Yvette Cooper is likely to chair. The two meetings are: the 120-day briefing on the situation in Sudan and the monthly meeting on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”.
In February, the Council is scheduled to hold a briefing on the Secretary-General’s biannual strategic-level report on the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh).
The annual briefing by UN Police Commissioners is also expected to take place during the month.
In addition to the meeting on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”, other Middle Eastern issues on the programme include:
- Syria, monthly meeting on the political and humanitarian situations; and
- Yemen, the monthly briefing and consultations on the situation in the country.
In addition to the meeting on Sudan, other African issues that will be discussed in February are:
- Libya, briefing and consultations on the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL);
- Central African Republic (CAR), meeting on the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA); and
- South Sudan, briefing and consultations on the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Regarding Asian issues, the Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the Monitoring Team supporting the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee. The Council is also scheduled to receive a briefing on the work of the 1718 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sanctions Committee. (At the time of writing, the Chair of the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee had not been appointed as Council members continue to negotiate this year’s allocation of subsidiary bodies. If the Chair is not appointed by the time the meeting is scheduled to take place, the UK is likely to brief members on the report in its capacity as Council president.)
February marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Council is likely to have one or more meetings on the file during the month.
Other issues—including Iran and Tigray—could be raised in February depending on developments. Members may also begin discussing the modalities for the Council’s involvement in the selection process for the next Secretary-General following the announcement by the President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock on 14 January that she has scheduled interactive dialogues with the candidates for the post of Secretary-General for the week of 20 April.
