Security Council Programme of Work for August 2026
Denmark holds the presidency of the Security Council in August. Council members adopted the provisional programme of work for the month earlier today (3 August).
Denmark will organise one signature event, a high-level open debate titled “Food Under Fire: The Security Council’s Role in Mitigating Global and Local Food Crises” under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. Denmark’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, is expected to chair the meeting. The anticipated briefers are UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) Carl Skau, and a civil society representative.
Rasmussen is also expected to chair two separate briefings on regional files. At the time of writing, the topics of these meetings have yet to be decided.
In August, the Security Council will hold its annual open debate on working methods under the agenda item “Implementation of the note by the President of the Security Council (S/2024/507)”. This refers to the most recent version of the comprehensive compendium of Council working methods adopted in December 2024, which is also known as Note 507. Executive Director of Security Council Report (SCR) Shamala Kandiah Thompson is expected to brief.
This month, the Council will also receive a briefing on the Secretary-General’s biannual strategic-level report on the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) to international peace and security. Briefings are expected from Oguljeren Niyazberdiyeva, the Chief of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism (OUSG) at the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), and Carmen G. Cantor, the Deputy Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED).
Several Middle Eastern issues are on the programme this month.
There will be an open briefing on Yemen. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, an official from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and a civil society representative are the anticipated briefers. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing.
The Council will also hold its monthly meeting on political and humanitarian developments in Syria. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Claudio Cordone, an OCHA official, and a civil society representative are expected to brief.
The Security Council will hold its monthly meeting on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”. The anticipated briefers are Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator at the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) Ramiz Alakbarov, Board of Peace (BoP) High Representative to Gaza Nickolay Mladenov, and a civil society representative. Additional meetings on this file may be convened depending on developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
The Council will also address several African files in August.
Council members are expected to hold closed consultations on Sudan on 5 August. Denmark and the UK (the penholder on the file) requested the meeting on 31 July to discuss the humanitarian situation in the country, particularly developments in the Darfur, Blue Nile, and Kordofan regions. An OCHA official is expected to brief.
The Security Council will hold an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the situation in South Sudan and the work of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Briefings are expected from Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS Anita Kiki Gbeho, Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) Major General (retired) George Aggrey Owinow, and a civil society representative.
The Council will hold its bimonthly briefing on the situation in Libya. Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Hanna Serwaa Tetteh will brief on recent political, security, and humanitarian developments in the country. A civil society representative is also scheduled to brief. The Council is also expected to receive a briefing on the work of the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee. The usual practice is for the chair of the Committee to brief Council members on the Committee’s activities. At the time of writing, however, Council members have yet to agree on this year’s allocation of subsidiary body chairs. Consequently, Denmark is expected to brief on the report in its capacity as Council President in August. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing.
The only Asian issue on the programme this month is consultations on the work of the 1718 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sanctions Committee. Denmark is expected to brief on the 90-day report on the Committee’s work in its capacity as Council President in August.
Regarding European issues, the Council may hold one or more meetings on Ukraine this month. Council members are also expected to hold a meeting under “any other business” to mark the 18th anniversary of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.
Other issues may also be raised during the month depending on developments. The Council will continue to closely monitor the crisis in the Middle East and any spillover effects, such as the disruption to the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Council members are currently discussing options for future engagement in Lebanon after the closure of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the end of 2026. At today’s press briefing on August’s programme of work, Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen (Denmark) noted that the presidency will consider ways to facilitate discussion on the matter. She added that this month marks five years since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021 and that the presidency will seek to highlight the consequences of this event.
In the coming weeks, the Secretary-General is expected to release a review of the future of UN peace operations that was requested by member states in the 2024 Pact for the Future. Lassen noted at today’s press briefing that Denmark and Pakistan (who have worked together as a “peacekeeping duo” this year) plan to convene consultations to allow Council members to assess the review once it is released.
In August, Council members are expected to continue conducting “straw polls” that began in July to gauge support for the candidates for the position of UN Secretary-General. Lassen said that the second straw poll may be held on 21 August, but that the date may change depending on developments during the month.