The May Programme of Work of the Security Council
May is likely to be a busy month in the Security Council with 16 formal meetings (15 public and one private) and nine consultations scheduled at press time. Three resolutions renewing UN missions in Abyei, Guinea-Bissau and Somalia are currently on the programme of work. A draft resolution proposed by Jordan is also expected to be adopted on a bravery medal for peacekeepers, while a resolution amending the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is a possibility this month. In addition a presidential statement is expected to be adopted following the non-proliferation open debate.
The Republic of Korea, the President of the Council this month, is planning a high-level open debate on non-proliferation to mark the 10th anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1540 on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. It is expected that Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se of the Republic of Korea will chair the meeting and that Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson will brief.
As is often the case, there will be a heavy focus on African issues, with Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, Libya, Sudan and South Sudan and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) all on the agenda and the Central African Republic in the footnotes.
The Council received a briefing today (2 May) during a public meeting on the human rights situation in South Sudan by the High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng. Consultations are also planned early in the month on UNMISS that is expected to include a briefing from Special Representative of the Secretary-General and UNMISS head Hilde Johnson and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations regarding force generation for and capacities of UNMISS. As mentioned earlier, it is highly possible that the Council may consider a resolution revising the mandate of UNMISS later this month.
The Council is also expected to receive briefings in consultations on Sudan-South Sudan and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) by Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Haile Menekerios (via VTC) and Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operation Hervé Ladsous, respectively. A resolution renewing the mandate of UNISFA, which expires on 31 May, is anticipated.
Ambassador MarĂa Cristina Perceval (Argentina), chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee, is also scheduled to provide the regular quarterly briefing in consultations on the Committee’s work.
A briefing on the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) is anticipated by Special Representative and head of UNSOM Nicolas Kay (via VTC), followed by consultations. It is also expected that the Council will adopt a resolution renewing UNSOM’s mandate, which expires on 3 June.
A briefing, followed by consultations, is planned on the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS). Special Representative José Ramos-Horta is expected to brief, as is the chair of the Peacebuilding Commission and its Guinea-Bissau configuration, Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota (Brazil). A resolution renewing the mandate of UNIOGBIS, which expires on 31 May, is anticipated late in the month.
A briefing is also anticipated on the UN Office in Burundi with the Secretary-General’s Special Representative Parfait Onanga-Anyanga expected to brief. This will be followed by consultations.
Additional briefings on African issues are expected by Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) Abou Moussa on the Secretary-General’s report on UNOCA and the implementation of the regional strategy on the LRA, and by International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on recent developments concerning cases in Libya.
It will also be a busy month on Middle East issues, especially Syria. The Council is scheduled to hold three consultations in May on Syria on the destruction of chemical weapons, the status of political efforts, and the humanitarian situation. Planned briefers in the consultations include Special Coordinator of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)-UN Joint Mission Sigrid Kaag on the destruction of chemical weapons; UN-Arab League Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi on political issues and the failed Geneva talks; and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kyung-wha Kang on humanitarian access.
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernández-Taranco is expected to brief during the monthly briefing and consultations on the Middle East. There will also be a briefing on the work of the 2140 Yemen Sanctions Committee by its chair, Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaité (Lithuania), which will be followed by consultations. Expected as well are consultations on the implementation of resolution 1559 concerning Lebanon, with Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Terje Rod-Larsen likely to brief.
Regarding European issues, the Council held a public briefing earlier today (2 May) on the Ukraine, and given the on-going crisis there, it is possible that additional meetings on this matter may be scheduled. (Letters from both Russia and Ukraine on the situation in Ukraine are currently in the footnotes of the programme of work.) Debates are also scheduled on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK), respectively. The High Representative for BiH Valentin Inzko is likely to brief during the BiH debate, while the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNMIK Farid Zarif is scheduled to brief during the debate on Kosovo.
To date, there is only one scheduled meeting planned on Asian issues in May – consultations on the 1718 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Sanctions Committee, with its chair, Ambassador Sylvie Lucas (Luxembourg), expected to brief.
In late May, the Council is planning to hold its semi-annual briefing by the chairs of its counter-terrorism committees. The briefers will be Ambassador Gary Quinlan (Australia), chair of the 1267/1989 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee; Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaité (Lithuania), chair of the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee; and Ambassador Oh Joon (Republic of Korea), chair of the 1540 Committee concerning weapons of mass destruction.
The Republic of Korea is planning a wrap-up session at the end of the month in a private meeting. An “Arria-formula” meeting on the protection of internally displaced persons is being contemplated by Australia and Chile.
Non-proliferation issues remains in footnotes. Council members will also be following closely the situation in the Central African Republic, which is also in the footnotes.