Programme of Work for September 2022
France is the president of the Security Council in September. Council members adopted the provisional programme of work for the month earlier today (1 September).
In September, the Security Council will hold a briefing on peacekeeping reform pursuant to resolution 2378 of 20 September 2017. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is expected to brief.
Ukraine is likely to continue as a key focus for Council members this month. France plans to organise a ministerial-level briefing on Ukraine during the UN General Assembly’s high-level week. French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna is expected to chair the meeting, which will focus on pursuing accountability and combatting impunity. Secretary-General António Guterres is the anticipated briefer.
Two other meetings on Ukraine are scheduled for the second week of September: a meeting requested by Russia on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and another on the forced displacement of Ukrainian civilians, which was requested by Albania and the US.
Regarding Asian issues, the Security Council will convene for its quarterly meeting on Afghanistan. An official from the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and a civil society representative are expected to brief.
Several Middle Eastern issues are on the programme this month. On Iraq, the Council is expected to renew the mandate of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD), which expires on 17 September.
Council members will convene for closed consultations on Yemen. The expected briefers are Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, OCHA’s Director of the Operations and Advocacy Division Reena Ghelani, and Head of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) Major General Michael Beary.
The Council will hold its monthly meetings on the political, humanitarian and chemical weapons tracks in Syria. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu will brief on the chemical weapons file. Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths are the scheduled briefers in a joint meeting on political and humanitarian issues, respectively. A civil society representative may also brief at the joint meeting. This month, Council members will hold an informal interactive dialogue (IID) in accordance with resolution 2642 of 12 July, which re-authorised the Syria cross-border humanitarian aid mechanism.
Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland is expected to brief during the Council’s monthly meeting on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”.
Several African issues will also be discussed in September. Council members are expected to vote on a draft resolution renewing the authorisations granted by resolution 2546 of 2 October 2020, allowing member states acting in their national capacity or through regional organisations to intercept vessels off the coast of Libya suspected of migrant smuggling. Council members will also hold closed consultations on Libya, during which a DPPA official will brief.
There will be an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on Somalia. Special Representative for Somalia and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) James Swan and EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa Annette Weber are expected to brief. An AU representative may also brief.
On Sudan, there will be an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS). Special Representative for Sudan and head of UNITAMS Volker Perthes will present the Secretary-General’s 90-day report on the mission. A civil society representative may also brief. This month, the chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman (Ghana), is expected to provide the quarterly briefing on the committee’s work.
The Council will convene for an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Special Representative for South Sudan and head of UNMISS Nicholas Haysom will brief. A civil society representative may also brief.
There will be a briefing and consultations on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Special Representative and head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) Bintou Keita and a civil society representative may brief.
Council members will also be closely following developments in Ethiopia and Myanmar. They may choose to convene meetings on these and other issues.
