March 2009 Monthly Forecast

• UN Support for Peacekeeping by Regional Organisations

  On 18 March the Council will consider the report of the joint AU-UN panel set up by the Secretary-General to review options for supporting AU peacekeeping operations. Read more

• Notable Dates

  Notable dates for March 2009. Read more

• Aide Memoire

  Important matters pending for the Council include: The 2005 World Summit requested that the Security Council consider reforms for the Military Staff Committee. This has yet to be addressed. In a presidential statement on Darfur in July 2008 (S/PRST/2008/27) the... Read more

• Liberia

  In March, the Council is expected to discuss the Secretary-General’s report on Liberia of 10 February and hear a briefing by Ellen Margrethe Løj, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. Progress in meeting key security benchmarks and possible adjustments of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) will be considered. Resolution 1836 renewed the UNMIL mandate until September 2009. Read more

• Haiti

  The next Secretary-General’s report on the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) is expected by 9 March. It is likely to provide an overview of developments regarding the implementation of indicators of progress in key areas of stabilisation. Read more

• Djibouti/Eritrea

  The Council is expecting a report from the Secretary-General (due 25 February) on the border dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea. Eritrea did not comply with the Council’s demand in resolution 1862 that it withdraw its forces from the disputed area by 18 February and engage in dialogue. It seems likely that the Council will take up the issue again in March. Read more

• Iran

  The prospects of change in US policy on Iran and the possibility of a new diplomatic track on the Iranian nuclear issue suggests that Council involvement in March will be of a technical nature only. Read more

• Somalia

  In March, the Council will receive a report from the Secretary-General. Also in March, the General Assembly is expected to take up the funding of the UN logistical-support package to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) endorsed by the Council on 16 January by resolution 1863. Read more

• Chad/CAR

  Council members will be following closely in March the transition from the EU Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (EUFOR), which concludes on 15 March, to a UN military component for the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT). Read more

• Kosovo

  In March the Secretary-General’s report on the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) will be on the table. This will be the first report that will give Council members a sense of how the delicate compromise, which was successfully brokered by the UN in November 2008 and which permitted the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo to be deployed in Kosovo, is working out in practice. Read more

• Afghanistan

  The mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expires on 23 March and is expected to be renewed Read more

• Lebanon

  A report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 1701 will be before the Council in March. A briefing by the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, is expected. At press time, there were no signs that the Council would take any significant action. On 1 March the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is scheduled to begin functioning. Read more

• Overview

  Libya will preside over the Council’s work in March. In addition to its regular activities, during this month, the Council will undertake a mission to Haiti (from 11 to 14 March) and will also hold its annual retreat with the... Read more