Security Council June Programme of Work
June will be a busy month in the Security Council under the French presidency. Two open debates and six adoptions are currently scheduled.
The two open debates are on sexual violence in conflict and on the protection of civilians in the context of peacekeeping operations, the latter of which will be held at ministerial level. For the sexual violence in conflict debate, the scheduled briefers are Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura; Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, the Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; and a civil society representative. During the protection of civilians debate, Ban, President Faustin-Archange Touadéra of the Central African Republic, and ICRC President Peter Maurer are expected to address the Council, while a high-level representative from the UN Children’s Fund may brief as well. Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, will preside at this debate.
Counter-terrorism and post-conflict peacebuilding are among the other thematic issues that are on the June programme. Jeffrey Feltman, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, will provide a briefing on the UN’s counter-terrorism efforts against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, which will be followed by consultations. Regarding post-conflict peacebuilding, Ambassador Macharia Kamau of Kenya, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), and Ambassador Olof Skoog of Sweden, the former chair of the PBC, are expected to brief.
The semi-annual debate on the ad hoc international criminal tribunals will be held in June. The presidents and prosecutors of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Residual Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals are expected to brief.
The Council’s attention will be focused on several African issues this month. The Council expects to receive a briefing by the Special Representative and Head of UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) Mahamat Saleh Annadif, followed by consultations. Later in the month, the Council will adopt a resolution renewing the mandate of MINUSMA.
The Council also intends to adopt a resolution renewing the authorisation of AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). This follows last month’s short technical rollover of the AMISOM mandate.
The situation in Darfur will be addressed during the month. ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda will give her semi-annual briefing to the Council on the court’s work on Darfur. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous will brief on the UN/AU Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), with consultations to follow. The Council is due to adopt a resolution renewing the UNAMID mandate before the end of the month.
The Council is also expected to renew the mandate of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Ahead of the adoption, the Council will receive a briefing by Special Representative and Head of UNSMIL Martin Kobler, followed by consultations. Ambassador Ramlan Ibrahim, the chair of 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee, will brief on the work of the Libya sanctions committee, prior to consultations on the same matter.
The Chair of the 1533 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sanctions committee, Ambassador Amr Abdellatif, will brief members in consultations, focusing on the annual report of the Group of Experts assisting the committee. The Council will renew the DRC sanctions regime and the mandate of its Group of Experts before the end of the month.
The Security Council will be briefed by Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative and head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), on the Secretary-General’s report on UNOCA and the implementation of the UN regional strategy to combat the Lord’s Resistance Army. The briefing will be followed by consultations.
Issues related to the Middle East feature prominently on the programme of work this month. Based on a request made by the UK this morning, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien is scheduled to brief Council members on Friday in consultations on the access challenges to besieged areas. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura is also expected to brief in the same consultations on the impact that the lack of access has had on the prospects for a resumption of the intra-Syrian political talks. The standing monthly meetings on the humanitarian and political tracks in Syria are in the programme for later this month. Acting UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Kim Won-soo and Head of the Joint Investigative Mechanism Virginia Gamba will brief members in consultations on the chemical weapons track in Syria.
Regarding the Golan Heights, the Council is expected to extend the mandate of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) for an additional six months. In the days before this adoption, Ladsous is scheduled to brief members in consultations on the most recent UNDOF report.
The monthly briefing on the Middle East will be presented by Nikolay Mladenov, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. Consultations will follow the briefing.
The Council will receive a briefing, followed by consultations, on Yemen from Special Envoy Ismael Ould Cheik Ahmed.
There are currently two Asian issues on the programme. Outgoing Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Nicholas Haysom will brief the Council during the quarterly debate on UNAMA. Members will also be briefed in consultations during the month on the work of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCC) by the Special Representative and Head of the UNRCCA Petko Draganov.
The Council is expecting a briefing on cooperation between the UN and the EU from EU High Representative Federica Mogherini.
The Council will also be closely following developments in Burundi, the Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau in June. These issues are in the footnotes of the programme of work, along with non-proliferation and Ukraine, which are regular footnote items. For the second consecutive month, peacekeeping operations is in the footnotes, most likely a reference to UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. Council members are expected to continue discussions on next steps in the Secretary-General selection process in the coming month, including the timing of the straw polls and modalities for meeting with the candidates.
On 28 June, the General Assembly is scheduled to elect five non-permanent members to the Council for the 2017-2018 term.
