Protection of Civilians

  • 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...

  • Our latest policy paper provides an analysis of the Security Council’s activities regarding the peace and security aspects of the Pact for the Future and presents recommendations for building upon its related action points. While not intended as an exhaustive analysis of the international peace and security aspects of the Pact, the paper focuses on key areas where the Council has been actively engaged or where there is potential for greater involvement. It also briefly references other relevant parts of the Pact where they intersect with the Council’s work. Further, it includes a discussion of climate, peace and security—a topic removed from the final version of the Pact but which remains a significant area of interest for many Council members due to its prominence during negotiations. 

  • Tomorrow afternoon (6 December), Guyana and Slovenia will convene an Arria-formula meeting to consider the implementation of resolution 2475 on the protection of persons with disabilities in armed conflict, which was adopted on 20 June 2019. Marking the resolution’s five-year...

  • 11 November 2024

    Briefing on Risk of Famine in Northern Gaza

    What's in Blue

    Tomorrow afternoon (12 November), the Security Council will hold a briefing under the “Protection of civilians in armed conflict” agenda item to discuss the risk of famine in northern Gaza. Guyana and Switzerland, the Council’s co-focal points on conflict and...

  • November 2024

    Protection of Humanitarian and UN Personnel

    Monthly Forecast

    In November, the Security Council will hold an open briefing on the Secretary-General’s recommendations on measures to prevent and respond to attacks against humanitarian and UN personnel, which the Council requested through resolution 2730 of 24 May. The UK, the Council president for the month, is convening the meeting. Representatives of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) are expected to the brief. A civil society representative may also participate.

  • At Switzerland’s invitation, members of the Security Council visited Geneva on 25 and 26 August to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. (For background information, see our 25 August What’s in Blue story.) On the afternoon of the informal visit’s...

  • At Switzerland’s invitation, members of the Security Council visited Geneva on 25 and 26 August to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. (For background information, see our 25 August What’s in Blue story.) On the second day of the informal...

  • At Switzerland’s invitation, members of the Security Council visited Geneva on 25 and 26 August to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. (For background information, see our 25 August What’s in Blue story.) The informal visit of...

  • At Switzerland’s invitation, members of the Security Council are visiting Geneva today and tomorrow (25 and 26 August) to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. According to a concept note prepared by Switzerland, the objective of this...

  • On 12 August, the Geneva Conventions turn 75. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has described these foundational treaties in international humanitarian law (IHL) as “one of humanity’s most important accomplishments of the last century.” In recent years, blatant disregard for IHL has been a feature of conflicts around the world, including several on the Council’s agenda. For the Security Council, the anniversary offers a time for sombre and sober reflection.

  • Tomorrow morning (28 June), the Security Council is scheduled to adopt a presidential statement on missing persons in armed conflict. The text was put forward by the Council’s “A3 plus one” grouping (which comprises Algeria, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Guyana) to...

  • Tomorrow afternoon (12 June), there will be an Arria-formula meeting of Security Council members titled “Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: prevent and respond to persons going missing across the globe”. Switzerland is convening the meeting together with The Global...

  • Tomorrow afternoon (30 May), the Security Council will convene for a briefing by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi under the agenda item “Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees”. Grandi is expected to provide an overview...

  • Tomorrow morning (24 May), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution prepared by Switzerland on the protection of humanitarian and UN personnel. The draft text is open for co-sponsorship by the wider UN membership. Background Over...

  • Tomorrow (21 May), the Security Council will hold its annual open debate on the protection of civilians (PoC) in armed conflict. Mozambique, the Council president for May, is convening the meeting as one of its signature events. The expected briefers are Assistant...