February 2007 Monthly Forecast

• Notable Dates

  Notable dates for February 2007. Read more

• Aide Memoire

  Important matters pending before the Council include: The  2005 World Summit requested reforms relating to the Military Staff Committee. This has yet to be addressed.  It is now almost six months since the Council in resolution  1701  requested the Secretary-General to... Read more

• Status Update

  Status Update of Security Council Activity in January 2007. Read more

• Iran

  Council action on Iran is not expected in February. The EU3+3 (France, Germany and the UK, plus China, Russia and the US) is likely to caucus once the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) presents his report on Iran's compliance with resolution 1737. Read more

• Chad/CAR

  The Council is expected to discuss the Secretary-General's recommendations on a peacekeeping mission in Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR). Given the risks surrounding such an operation-including the lack of clear consent from all parties-it is unclear whether members will be ready to authorise an operation in February. Read more

• Somalia

  The Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahim Gambari is expected to brief the Council in early February. The Council is also expected to examine the request from the African Union (AU) for the UN to take over from AU peacekeepers in Somalia in six months. Read more

• Sanctions Implementation: Recent Developments

  The Council took a step towards improving the effectiveness of UN sanctions in December. It brought to a conclusion the work of its Informal Working Group on General Issues of Sanctions. After nearly seven years of work, most recently under the leadership of Ambassador Adamantios Th. Vassilakis of Greece, the Council in resolution 1732 decided on 21 December that the Working Group had fulfilled its mandate. Read more

• Sudan (Darfur)

  Council members will be looking for concrete action on deployment of a hybrid AU-UN operation in Darfur. Agreement from Khartoum on key details, including mandate and size, was pending at press time. A positive outcome is likely to lead to Council action triggering wider UN approval of funding and resources. Read more

• Haiti

  The Council is expected to renew the mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which is due to expire on 15 February. Read more

• Review of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate

  On 20 December the Council adopted a presidential statement completing its review of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED). Its review was undertaken on the basis of a report by the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC). The outcome does not bode well for the future of the CTED which must now prove that it can live up to the original expectations of providing support to the CTC on combating terrorism. Read more

• Timor-Leste

  The Council will receive the Secretary-General's report on Timor-Leste by early February, and it will consider renewal of the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste before its mandate expires on 25 February. Approval of the extension is expected. Read more

• Democratic Republic of the Congo

  The Council is expected to agree to the request by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to delay its substantive review of the mandate of the UN Mission in the Congo (MONUC), which expires on 15 February. How long this technical extension might be is still under discussion. Read more

• Overview

  Slovakia will have the presidency of the Council in February. Traditionally, the February agenda has relatively few scheduled “country specific” matters.  Accordingly, Slovakia has taken the opportunity this month to initiate a major new thematic area of Council work. They... Read more