What's In Blue: April 2011
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Council members have in recent days been working on a possible press statement in which the Council would commend Haitians on the successful completion of the recent elections. The goal had been to release it following the announcement of the...
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The Secretary-General’s annual retreat with the Security Council members will be held from this evening Thursday 28 April through Friday 29 April. As usual it will take place at the Greentree conference centre in Manhasset, Long Island. All the Permanent...
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Yesterday, (Wednesday, 27 April) having failed to reach consensus on a press statement on the situation in Syria, the Council held a public debate on the Middle East which enabled many members to put on record their concern about ongoing...
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A conflict that was before the Council in early February has flared up once again. (On 14 February, the Council held a private meeting under the agenda item “Letter dated 6 February 2011 from the Permanent Representative of Cambodia to...
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Council members are expecting a briefing on Syria in informal consultations today (Wednesday, 27 April) from B. Lynn Pascoe. Council members agreed yesterday that a more detailed briefing on Syria was needed following the Secretary-General’s briefing yesterday which covered Syria...
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Tomorrow (Wednesday, 27 April) the Council is likely to adopt a “technical rollover” resolution extending the UN Mission in Sudan. The current mandate of UNMIS expires on 30 April. The draft resolution would renew it until 9 July at current...
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The Council is likely to adopt a resolution tomorrow (Wednesday, 27 April) renewing the mandate of the UN Mission in Western Sahara. Council members are still negotiating a draft resolution. A text was circulated to the wider Council membership on...
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Council members are currently considering a draft press statement on Syria circulated this morning and are expected to give their comments on the draft by tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 26 April). It seems the key elements of the press statement include...
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Today (Monday, 25 April) a new provisional programme of work for the Council has been posted. There are a number of changes to the Council’s work schedule for this week. A new addition is a briefing by the Secretary-General tomorrow...
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The Secretary-General’s report on small arms and light weapons was circulated yesterday (Wednesday, 20 April). The Council is expecting a briefing on Monday, 25 April, possibly by the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio Duarte. The Secretary-General’s report recommends that...
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On Wednesday, 20 April Council members were briefed by Gamal bin Omer, the UN envoy to Yemen. Bin Omar visited Yemen last week where he met President Ali Abdullah Saleh . Germany and Lebanon proposed a presidential statement where Council...
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The Council will have an open debate on the Middle East tomorrow (Thursday, 21 April). B. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, will brief. (The Council has a monthly briefing on the Middle East and quarterly there is a...
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This afternoon (Tuesday,19 April) the Council will be briefed on Yemen by a senior official from the Department of Political Affairs’ Middle East and North Africa section. It appears that Germany requested the briefing yesterday following the monthly briefing to...
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The Council is expected to receive two separate briefings tomorrow (Wednesday, 20 April) on Sudan – one on the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and the other on the AU-UN Hybrid mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Council members will also have...
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The Council is expected to renew the mandate of the 1540 Committee on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism on Wednesday, 20 April and Council members at expert level have been busy finalising the Committee’s report. They have...
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Security Council consultations on Western Sahara were originally scheduled for today (Friday, 15 April) but have been postponed to Tuesday,19 April. (This is the second postponement. Yesterday it was postponed from Friday, 15 April to Monday, 18 April.) The Secretary-General’s...
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On Monday, 18 April, Council members will receive another in the series of briefings from the Department of Political Affairs head, B. Lynn Pascoe on emerging or significant issues. It seems that Pascoe may focus on: Somalia, Libya and also...
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The Libya Sanctions Committee is considering proposals on additional designations by members of the Committee. 45 additional individuals and a number of entities have been proposed for listing. It appears that all the new proposed designations have come from the...
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Tomorrow (Thursday, 14 April) Margaret Wallström, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, will brief the Council in a public meeting. This will be followed by informal consultations with Council members. Wallström is expected to focus...
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Tomorrow (Wednesday, 13 April) the Council will be briefed on the situation on Côte d’Ivoire by High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and UN chief of humanitarian affairs, Valerie Amos. The last time the Human Rights High Commissioner briefed...
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The report on the Darfur-based Political Process (DPP) which Council members expected orginally in late February and then in April is now expected to be delayed further. (On 9 February the Council requested in a presidential statement that the Secretary-General...
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The head of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, will brief Council members tomorrow (Tuesday, 12 April) during informal consultations. This will be her first briefing to the Council since she was appointed as Under Secretary-General for UN Women which was set...
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This morning the head of UN peacekeeping, Alain Le Roy, briefed Council members on recent events in Côte d’Ivoire. Le Roy last briefed the Council on Friday afternoon. It seems that Le Roy explained that the attacks by former President...
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This afternoon Council members will have informal consultations on the interim report of the 1591 Sanction Committee on Sudan. This flows from resolution 1945 renewing the mandate of the panel of experts on 14 October 2010 when the Council requested...
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Following Russia’s request for a briefing on Côte d’Ivoire this morning during informal consultations Council members are now anticipating a briefing on the situation in Côte d’Ivoire this afternoon (Friday, 8 April). The briefing is expected to take place following...
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The draft Somalia piracy resolution is expected to be put in blue today (Friday, 8 April). It is scheduled to be adopted on Monday, 11 April. Council members began negotiations on the draft resolution at expert level on 22 March...
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Council members at expert level are working on completing the report of the 1540 Committee on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. (Resolution 1540, adopted in 2004, established this Committee to address concerns that non-state actors might use...
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On Friday, 8 April the Council will be briefed by the Special Representative Ad Melkert and will hold informal consultations on Iraq. Melkert is expected to highlight key points from his report on the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI),...
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On Friday, 8 April Council members will hold informal consultations on the 29 March letter from Kenya requesting it to hold an open meeting on Kenya’s request for the Council to use its powers under Article 16 of the Rome...
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Although it is not currently on the Council’s provisional programme of work, the Secretary-General has been requested by resolution 1973 to provide a monthly report. It seems that this is likely to be be scheduled towards the end of April....
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Council members were briefed yesterday (Monday, 4 April) by the head of UN peacekeeping, Alain Le Roy, on the Secretary-General’s decision to give operational clearance for UNOCI to take “necessary measures” to prevent the use of heavy weapons against civilians...
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Tomorrow (6 April 2011) the Council will hold an open debate on Haiti. Colombia has chosen Haiti as a priority issue for its presidency of the Council this month and its president, Juan Manuel Santos will preside over the meeting....
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The Council will be briefed in a formal public meeting by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Libya, Abdelilah Al-Khatib this afternoon. This will be followed by informal consultations on Libya. Al-Khatib was in Libya last week where he met with...
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Council members met today to discuss the April programme of work. This followed the meeting of political coordinators on Friday on the programme of work. This month Colombia has the presidency. It is looking very likely that the Council will...
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Council members will be briefed at 5 pm today (Friday, 1 April) by DPKO head, Alain Le Roy, on the attack against the UN’s office in Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan. Council members are then expected to discuss a press statement reacting...
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On Thursday, 24 April, Council members had their second round of negotiations at the expert level on the draft presidential statement which is expected to be adopted at the high-level debate on Haiti on 6 April. During the Colombia’s presidency...
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On Monday, 28 March, a letter signed by 13 countries, from Latin America with a few Asian and African countries, was sent to the president of the Security Council expressing concern about the developments in Libya. It urged the Council...