Security Council Programme of Work for June 2025
Guyana is the president of the Security Council in June. Council members adopted the provisional programme of work for the month earlier today (2 June).
Guyana has chosen to organise one signature event, a high-level open debate titled “Poverty, underdevelopment and conflict: Implications for the maintenance of international peace and security”. President Mohamed Irfaan Ali of Guyana is expected to chair the meeting. The anticipated briefers include UN Secretary-General António Guterres, an official from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and an African Union (AU) Commission official. A presidential statement is a possible outcome of the meeting. During today’s press briefing on the June programme of work, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (Guyana) noted that her delegation, together with Denmark and Sierra Leone, will organise an expert-level briefing on the same topic as the signature event. The briefing, which is open to all member states, will take place on 5 June.
The Security Council’s annual open debate on children and armed conflict will take place this month. Vindhya Persaud, Guyana’s Minister of Human Services and Social Security, is expected to chair the meeting. Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba, Executive Director of UNICEF Catherine Russell, and a civil society representative are the anticipated briefers.
The Council is also expected to hold its semi-annual debate on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). The IRMCT’s president, Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, and its prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, are expected to brief during the debate and meet with the Informal Working Group on International Tribunals prior to that.
Several Middle Eastern issues are on the programme in June.
There will be 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. The meeting on political and humanitarian developments may include briefings from Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Najat Rochdi, an official from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and a civil society representative.
The Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) ahead of its 30 June expiry. In mid-June, Council members will receive a briefing in consultations on UNDOF’s activities from Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Mohamed Khaled Khiari. The Council will also hold a private meeting with UNDOF’s troop-contributing countries, in which Khiari is expected to participate.
The Council’s biannual meeting on the situation in Iraq will take place in June. Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Mohamed Al Hassan will brief on recent political, security, and humanitarian developments in the country, as well as on progress in implementing resolution 2732 of 31 May 2024, which streamlined UNAMI’s mandate and decided to close the mission by 31 December.
The Security Council also plans to hold its monthly briefing and consultations on Yemen. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and an OCHA official are expected to brief.
The monthly briefing and consultations on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question” is likely to feature a briefing from Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process ad interim Sigrid Kaag. Additional meetings on this file may be convened depending on developments in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel. Council members may also vote on a draft resolution on the situation in Gaza initiated by the Council’s ten elected members (E10).
In June, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo is expected to brief the Council on the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of resolution 2231, which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear programme in 2015. Ambassador Samuel Žbogar (Slovenia), the Council’s facilitator for the implementation of resolution 2231, is expected to report on the Council’s work in relation to resolution 2231. A representative of the European Union (EU) is also expected to brief in its capacity as coordinator of the Joint Commission, which was established by the parties to the JCPOA to oversee its implementation.
Several African issues will be addressed this month.
The Security Council will receive a briefing on the Secretary-General’s semi-annual report on the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) and the implementation of the UN’s regional strategy to combat the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa and Head of UNOCA Abdou Abarry and President of the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) Gilberto da Piedade Veríssimo are expected to brief. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing.
The Council will hold a briefing and consultations on the Central African Republic (CAR), including the work of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is expected to brief.
There will be an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the situation in Libya and the work of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of UNSMIL Hanna Serwaa Tetteh is the anticipated briefer.
This month, the Security Council will receive the regular 120-day briefing on the situation in Sudan pursuant to resolution 2715 of 1 December 2023. A Department of Political Affairs (DPPA) official and a civil society representative are expected to brief in the open chamber. Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan Ramtane Lamamra is likely to brief during the closed consultations. The chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Joonkook Hwang (ROK), may also brief the Council on the committee’s work.
On the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), there will be a briefing and consultations on the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC and Head of MONUSCO Bintou Keita is the anticipated briefer. Security Council members are also scheduled to vote on a draft resolution renewing the mandate of the 1533 DRC Sanctions Committee and its Panel of Experts, which are due to expire on 1 July and on 1 August, respectively.
Regarding Asian issues, there will be a briefing and consultations on the work of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Briefings are expected from Special Representative and Head of UNAMA Roza Otunbayeva, UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous, and an OCHA official.
At today’s press briefing, Rodrigues-Birkett said that at least two meetings on the situation in Ukraine are expected in June. Additionally, the annual informal exchange between the members of the UN Security Council and the EU Political and Security Committee will take place at UN Headquarters tomorrow (3 June).
Other issues could also be raised during the month, depending on developments in contexts such as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Haiti, and Myanmar.
The General Assembly is scheduled to vote tomorrow to elect five new members to the Security Council. Bahrain, Colombia, the DRC, Latvia, and Liberia are running unopposed for the five available seats.
