What's In Blue
Latest post: Tue 28 Nov 2023Insights on the work of the UN Security Council
The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question: Ministerial-level Briefing
Tomorrow morning (29 November), the Security Council will convene for a ministerial-level briefing on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the meeting. Secretary-General António Guterres and Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland are the anticipated briefers. Several member states are expected to participate at ministerial level at tomorrow’s meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.
Today (28 November) marks the fifth consecutive day of a pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian armed group and de facto authority in Gaza. Following the 7 October large-scale attacks against Israel led by Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have carried out massive airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, and on 27 October, began their ground operation in northern Gaza. Figures provided by Palestinian officials in Gaza cited by OCHA indicate that, as at 23 November, over 14,800 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza. More than 1.8 million people in the Gaza strip, representing nearly 80 percent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced and, as at 24 November, over 60 percent of the total housing stock in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed. According to figures provided by Israeli authorities cited by OCHA, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. Over 200 hostages were taken into the Gaza Strip during the 7 October attacks. (For background, see our 7, 12, 23, and 29 October, as well as 6, 10, and 22 November What’s in Blue stories.)
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Tomorrow afternoon (28 November), the Security Council will convene for a private meeting on the independent assessment on Afghanistan, which was requested by resolution 2679 of 16 March.* Feridun Sinirlioğlu, the special coordinator of the independent assessment, is expected to...
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On Monday (27 November), the Security Council will convene for an open briefing on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Mohamed Khaled Khiari* is expected to brief. Albania, Ecuador,...
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This morning (22 November), the Security Council will convene for an open briefing on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”. Malta and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) requested the meeting, citing “the deeply concerning developments in the...
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Tomorrow (21 November), following the consultations on the implementation of resolution 1701, Security Council members will discuss the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) under “Any Other Business”. The US requested the meeting to discuss reported allegations...
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Tomorrow afternoon (21 November), Security Council members will hold their biannual meeting on the Group of Five for the Sahel Joint Force (FC-G5S) in closed consultations. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace...
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Tomorrow (20 November), the Security Council will hold an open debate on promoting sustainable peace through common development under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. The anticipated briefers are UN Secretary-General António Guterres; Dilma Rousseff, President of...
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Tomorrow morning (17 November), the Security Council will convene for an open briefing on Ukraine under the “Threats to international peace and security” agenda item. Russia requested the meeting to discuss its allegations that Ukrainian authorities are persecuting the Ukrainian...
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Tomorrow afternoon (16 November), the Security Council will convene for an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS). Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace...
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Tomorrow morning (16 November), Security Council members will hold their monthly meeting on Yemen in closed consultations. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths, and Head of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement...
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This afternoon (15 November), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution on the escalation of violence in Gaza and Israel. The draft resolution in blue has a humanitarian focus and references child protection issues throughout the...
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Tomorrow morning (15 November), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution regarding a request by the African Union (AU) to revise the operational timelines for the drawdown of the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). The...
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Tomorrow morning (15 November), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) for another year, until 15 November 2024. France, the penholder on...
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Mr. President, Thank you for this opportunity to address the Security Council, on behalf of Security Council Report, on UN Policing in the context of the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace. UN policing is a profoundly valuable tool in the...
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Tomorrow morning (15 November), the Security Council will convene for the annual open briefing on the work of its counter-terrorism-related committees. The expected briefers are Ambassador Vanessa Frazier (Malta), chair of the 1267/1989/2253 Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant...
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Tomorrow morning (14 November), the Security Council will hold its annual briefing with the heads of police components of UN peace operations. The expected briefers are Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Police Commissioner of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission...