Protection of Civilians
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In August, the Security Council is expected to hold a high-level open debate on conflict-related food insecurity under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. A signature event of Denmark’s Council presidency, the meeting will be chaired by Denmark’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen. The anticipated briefers are UN Secretary-General Antόnio Guterres, Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) Carl Skau, and a civil society briefer.
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Tomorrow (20 May), the Security Council will hold its annual open debate on the protection of civilians (PoC) in armed conflict. China—the Council president in May—is convening the meeting. The expected briefers are Edem Wosornu, Director of the Crisis Response...
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Over 25 years since the Security Council adopted resolution 1265 in 1999, establishing the protection of civilians (PoC) as a distinct agenda item, the long-observed gap between the protection framework that it has built and the reality experienced by civilians in armed conflict has never been wider. The Council has at its disposal well-established legal standards, operational tools, and reporting mechanisms developed through a substantial body of thematic and country-specific decisions. What it increasingly lacks is the political will and cohesion to apply them in the situations where they are most urgently needed. As civilian harm in armed conflict surges, the credibility of the Council’s protection framework—and its role in maintaining international peace and security—will be judged not by the norms it articulates but by its willingness to act on them.
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Tomorrow afternoon (5 May), Denmark, along with non-Council members New Zealand and Spain, will convene an Arria-formula meeting to mark the tenth anniversary of resolution 2286 of 3 May 2016, which addressed the protection of the wounded and sick, medical...
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In May, the Security Council will receive the Secretary-General’s annual report on the protection of civilians (PoC) in armed conflict and hold its annual open debate on the topic.
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In April, the Security Council will hold its second annual briefing on the protection of humanitarian and UN personnel, in accordance with resolution 2730 of 24 May 2024. Representatives of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) are expected to brief.
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Tomorrow (17 November), the Security Council will convene for a high-level open debate on conflict-related food insecurity, under the agenda item “Threats to international peace and security”. The meeting, titled “Framing the global dialogue: addressing food insecurity as a driver...
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In November, the Security Council will hold a high-level open debate on conflict-related food insecurity. This is a signature event of Sierra Leone’s Council presidency and will be chaired by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio. The expected briefers are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, African Union (AU) Special Envoy for Food Systems Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, and a civil society representative.
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On Monday morning (16 June), Security Council members will hold closed consultations under the “Protection of civilians in armed conflict” agenda item. Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya is expected to brief members on food insecurity in Gaza, following...
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Tomorrow (22 May), the Security Council will hold its annual open debate on the protection of civilians (PoC) in armed conflict. Greece, the Council president for May, is convening the meeting as one of its signature events. It will be...
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On Friday afternoon (23 May), an Arria-formula meeting will be convened by Slovenia together with Algeria, Panama, and Sierra Leone that is titled “Freshwater Resources and Related Infrastructure under Attack: Protecting Water in Armed Conflict—Protecting Civilian Lives”. Several non-Council members—Costa...
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Tomorrow afternoon (15 May), the Security Council will hold a briefing on the implementation of resolution 2474 of 11 June 2019 concerning missing persons in armed conflict. The UK and the US requested the meeting. Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle...
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In May, the Security Council will receive the Secretary-General’s annual report on the protection of civilians (PoC) in armed conflict and hold its annual open debate on the topic. Greece, the Council president in May, is convening the debate as one of its signature events. The expected briefers are Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous, and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger. A civil society representative may also brief.
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In April, the Security Council will hold an open briefing on the implementation of resolution 2730 of 24 May 2024, which concerns the protection of humanitarian personnel and UN and associated personnel and their premises and assets. France, the Council president for the month, is convening the meeting. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher and Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security Gilles Michaud are expected to the brief. A civil society representative may also participate.
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On Monday morning (6 January), the Security Council will hold a briefing on food insecurity in Sudan under the “Protection of civilians in armed conflict” agenda item. The expected briefers are Director of the Operations and Advocacy Division at the...
