What's In Blue

Council’s June Programme of Work

Council members adopted their provisional programme of work for June this morning. The month ahead looks like a busy one for the Council with five resolutions scheduled for adoption, two debates – Afghanistan and International Tribunals – and an open debate on protection of civilians. Briefings and consultations are expected on the Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guinea-Bissau, Iraq and Kuwait, the LRA , Liberia, Middle East, Sudan and South Sudan, and Syria. There will also be briefings on a number of sanctions committee: counter-terrorism, DPRK, DRC, Iran, Liberia and Sudan. The Council will also hold its annual consultation with the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) in mid-June

This month much of the Council’s attention will continue to be occupied with the crisis in Syria. On Thursday, the joint AU-UN Special Envoy, Kofi Annan, together with Peacekeeping head, Hervé Ladsous, will brief Council members on developments in Syria. Although the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) is only due for possible renewal l in July, Council members may decide to enhance the mission depending on what they hear. This would require the adoption of a new resolution. Council members will again have consultations on Syria on 26 June.

Other Middle East issues on the programme of work are the regular Middle East briefing and consultations as well as a meeting to renew the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

Although not on the programme of work at the moment, Yemen is likely to take up some of the Council’s time in the first week of June. Following a briefing on 29 May from the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, Council members are considering a resolution on Yemen which may be adopted later this week.

A number of African issues are on the June programme of work as well. Sudan continues to be a focus this month starting with tomorrow’s biannual public briefing by the Prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, on the work of the ICC relative to the situation in Darfur. Council members will also have several opportunities over the month to discuss issues relating to Sudan and South Sudan. Consultations are scheduled (in accordance with resolution 2046 asking the Secretary-General to inform the Council at two-week intervals) in mid and late June. In addition, there will be consultations on 18 June on the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to discuss the Secretary-General’s report. There will also be a troop-contributing countries (TCC) meeting on the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) ahead of the expected renewal of the mission’s mandate in July.

Another issue that occupied the Council’s attention last month and is on the June programme of work is Guinea-Bissau. Tomorrow (5 June), Council members are scheduled to have consultations on Guinea-Bissau with a briefing by Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, on the steps taken to restore constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau. It appears that Council members have agreed to have an interactive dialogue on Guinea-Bissau tomorrow with key stakeholders including the former Prime Minister, Carlos Gomes Júnio.

Over the month there will also be briefings by the UN Office on Central Africa (UNOCA) on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The situation in the CAR will come up again during a briefing next week by Margaret Vogt, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in CAR (BINUCA).

The DRC will also feature this month. The mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), is likely to be renewed towards the end of the month and the Council will hear from Roger Meece, the head of MONUSCO. The DRC Sanctions Committee report will also be discussed this month.

Consultations on both the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the Liberia Sanctions Committee are scheduled for late June. During these consultations, Council members are expected to be briefed by DPKO on the Secretary-General’s special report on UNMIL and to consider the mid-term report of the Panel of Experts monitoring the Liberia sanctions regime.

The mandates of the Panel of Experts assisting both the Iran and DPRK Sanctions Committees expire this month and the Council is expected to adopt resolutions renewing both. The Council will also receive its regular quarterly briefing from the chair of the Iran Sanctions Committee (1737 Committee) in mid-June as well as a briefing from the chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee/Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate.
On June 20th the Council will hear from Ladsous and some of the UN Force Commanders in what has become an annual briefing to the Council.

Also scheduled for renewal by resolution in June are the terms of four judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

The footnotes of the June programme include the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) which apparently was added because of the elections in Libya this month. It seems the Secretary-General may submit a report on the elections to the Council.

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