What's In Blue

Posted Mon 3 Feb 2025
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Security Council Programme of Work for February 2025

China is the president of the Security Council in February. Council members adopted the provisional programme of work for the month earlier today (3 February).

China has chosen to organise one signature event, a high-level open debate on “Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance” under the agenda item “Maintenance of international peace and security”. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the meeting. UN Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to brief.

This month, the Security Council is expected to hold a briefing on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts based on the Secretary-General’s 20th strategic-level report on the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh). The anticipated briefers are Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism and Head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Vladimir Voronkov and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) Natalia Gherman.

The Council will also receive its annual briefing from the heads of police components of UN peace operations. The expected briefers are Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix; UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar; the Police Commissioner of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Christophe Bizimungu; and the Senior Police Advisor at the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Mingzhu Xu.

February marks the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Although a meeting on Ukraine is currently not included on the Security Council’s provisional programme of work, the Council is likely to have one or more meetings on the country during the month.

Several Middle Eastern issues are on the programme this month.

The Security Council will hold its monthly meeting on the political and humanitarian situations in Syria. Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya are expected to brief on political and humanitarian developments, respectively.

There will also be an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on Yemen. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher are the anticipated briefers.

The Security Council will hold its monthly meeting on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question”. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process ad interim Sigrid Kaag is expected to brief. At today’s press conference on February’s programme of work, Ambassador Fu Cong (China), noted that the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, Riyad Mansour, has requested the Council to convene for a meeting to discuss developments in the West Bank. Closed consultations on the matter have been scheduled for tomorrow afternoon (4 February).

Several African issues will be discussed in February.

Regarding Sudan, Council members are expected to vote on a draft resolution renewing the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee. The Council also plans to hold the regular 120-day briefing and consultations on the situation in Sudan pursuant to resolution 2715 of 1 December 2023. A Department of Political Affairs (DPPA) official is expected to brief in the open chamber, while Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan Ramtane Lamamra is expected to brief in consultations.

The Security Council is expected to renew the 2713 Al-Shabaab sanctions regime, including the provision for maritime interdiction, which expires on 28 February. It is also likely to decide on the further extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts supporting the 2713 Al-Shabaab Sanctions Committee.

There will also be a briefing on the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The anticipated briefers are Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and Head of UNMISS Nicholas Haysom, Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) Major General (Retired) Charles Tai Gituai, and a civil society representative. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing.

The Security Council will hold its bimonthly briefing and consultations on the situation in Libya. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo is expected to brief on recent political, security, and humanitarian developments in the country. Additionally, the chair of the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee might brief on the committee’s activities. (At the time of writing, the chair had not yet been appointed, as Council members continue to negotiate this year’s allocation of subsidiary bodies.)

There will be an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Central African Republic (CAR) and Head of MINUSCA Valentine Rugwabiza is the anticipated briefer.

Council members also continue to closely follow developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Cong mentioned at today’s press briefing that one Council member is “floating the idea” of a resolution on the situation in eastern DRC.

Regarding Asian issues, Council members will hold their semi-annual consultations on the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), at which Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNRCCA Kaha Imnadze will brief.

Members will also receive a briefing on the work of the 1718 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sanctions Committee. (At the time of writing, the chair of this committee had also not yet been appointed. If the Chair is not appointed before the end of February, then the meeting may be postponed.)

Other issues could be raised in February depending on developments in contexts such as Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Lebanon, Sudan, and Syria.

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