Status Update since our September Forecast
Artificial Intelligence
On 2 September, Security Council members held an informal interactive dialogue (IID) on artificial intelligence (AI), titled “From Early Warning to Durable Peace: Leveraging AI in Conflict Resolution”. The meeting was organised by Bahrain, France, Greece, and Latvia. The briefers were Rodrigo Saad, Policy Analyst at Security Council Report (SCR); Giacomo Persi Paoli, Fellow at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR); and Naomi Miyashita, Team Leader of the Information Integrity Unit in the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO).
On 23 September, the Council held a high-level briefing on AI and international security under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item (S/PV.10227 and Resumption I). France, the Council’s president in September, convened the meeting which was chaired by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot. The briefers were Yoshua Bengio, Co-Chair of the UN’s Independent International Scientific Panel on AI (IISP-AI); OpenAI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sam Altman; Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei; and Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue.
Iran
On 10 September, the Security Council held an open briefing on the work of the 1737 Sanctions Committee concerning Iran under the “Non-proliferation” agenda item (S/PV.10218). Prior to the meeting, Russia, supported by China, requested a procedural vote on the provisional agenda, reiterating its position that “Non-proliferation” had been removed from the list of matters of which the Council is seized. France—the Council president in September—subsequently put the agenda to a vote. It was adopted with 11 votes in favour, two against (China and Russia), and two abstentions (Pakistan and Somalia).
On 17 September, the Security Council held a meeting under the “Non-proliferation” agenda item (S/PV.10224) to vote on a draft resolution extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts supporting the 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee for another year, until September 2027. Prior to the meeting, Russia and China requested another procedural vote on the agenda, which was again adopted with 11 votes in favour, two against (China and Russia), and two abstentions (Pakistan and Somalia). The draft resolution was subsequently put to a vote and received the same result. The draft was therefore not adopted due to the negative votes of two permanent members. (The veto applies only to substantive decisions and cannot be used to block procedural votes.)
Counter-Terrorism
On 11 September, the Security Council held an open briefing under the “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts” agenda item (S/PV.10221). France, the Council’s president in September, convened the meeting to mark the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks perpetrated by Al-Qaida against the US. The briefers were: the Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Natalia Gherman; the Director for Policy and Coordination at the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), Eihab Omaish; and the Executive Director of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), Naureen Chowdhury Fink.
At the meeting the Security Council also adopted a French-authored presidential statement on counter-terrorism, its first thematic presidential statement on the issue since 2021. The statement reaffirmed the Council’s unequivocal condemnation of the 9/11 attacks and of all acts of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever, and by whomever committed. It expressed concern about the misuse of new financial instruments, including virtual assets such as cryptocurrencies, for terrorist purposes. It also expressed the Council’s intention to address both the risks posed by the misuse of emerging technologies and the opportunities they may offer for counter-terrorism efforts.
On 22 September, Council members issued a press statement condemning a terrorist attack at a mosque in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan, on 18 September (SC/16459). More than 24 Pakistani nationals died in the attack, which was claimed by a terrorist group that included affiliates linked to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Afghanistan
On 16 September, the Security Council held an open briefing on the situation in Afghanistan and the work of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) (S/PV.10223). The briefers were Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Political) for Afghanistan Georgette Gagnon and former Afghan politician and founder of Equality for Peace and Democracy Nargis Nehan. Afghanistan, India, Iran, and Kazakhstan participated in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. The open briefing was followed by closed consultations.
Peacekeeping
On 18 September, the Security Council held a debate on peacekeeping reform pursuant to resolution 2378 of 20 September 2017 (S/PV.10226). UN Secretary-General António Guterres briefed. In addition to Council members, seven member states—Austria, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lebanon, and Portugal—took part in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. The African Union (AU) also participated under rule 39.
Ukraine
On 23 September, the Security Council held a high-level briefing on Ukraine, which was requested by the Council’s five European members (Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, and the UK) (S/PV.10227 and Resumption I). French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot chaired the meeting, at which Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo briefed. Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and Ukraine participated in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, while President of the European Council António Costa participated under rule 39. Several Council members and other participants were represented by heads of government or foreign ministers, who were in New York for the high-level segment of the 81st session of the General Assembly.
Cooperation between the UN and the League of Arab States
On 24 September, Security Council members held a high-level informal interactive dialogue (IID) on cooperation between the UN and the League of Arab States (LAS). Éléonore Caroit, France’s Minister Delegate for Francophonie, International Partnerships and French Nationals Abroad, chaired the meeting. France circulated a concept note ahead of the meeting, framing the IID as an opportunity to reflect on how enhanced cooperation between the Council and the LAS can help forge peace and address multiple cross-cutting threats across the Arab region. LAS Assistant Secretary-General for International Political Affairs Khaled al-Manzalawi, on behalf of LAS Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy, and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo briefed. The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, the current members of the Arab Summit Troika, participated in the meeting.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
On 29 September, the Security Council met for an open briefing on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including the work of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (S/PV.10232). Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC and Head of MONUSCO James Swan and President of the Coordination Bureau of Civil Society in South Kivu Néné Bintou Iragi briefed virtually.
Horn of Africa
At time of writing, Council members were expected to hold closed consultations on the Horn of Africa, in light of the deterioration of the situation in northern Ethiopia. An official from the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs was expected to brief.