Security Council Plan of Work for September 2026
France is the president of the Security Council in September.
Council members were unable to reach agreement on the provisional programme of work for the month, apparently due to objections from China and Russia to the inclusion in the proposed programme of a briefing on the work of the 1737 Sanctions Committee concerning Iran and the renewal of the mandate of the Panel of Experts (PoE) assisting the Committee. Similar issues precluded agreement on the provisional programme of work in March and June. (For more information, see our 2 March and 1 June What’s in Blue stories.)
Instead of an official programme of work, France has circulated a “plan of work”, which will be published on the presidency’s website.
This month, the Security Council will hold a debate on peacekeeping reform pursuant to resolution 2378 of 20 September 2017. Secretary-General António Guterres is the anticipated briefer.
On 11 September, France plans to convene a meeting to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Acting Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism and Head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Alexandre Zouev and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) Natalia Gherman are scheduled to brief. At today’s (1 September) press briefing on the Council’s work this month, Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont (France) noted that this meeting aims to create momentum for the Council to be more active on counter-terrorism. He added that there will be a focus on new technologies, including their effect on terrorism and their use in counter-terrorism efforts. It seems that France has proposed a draft presidential statement in connection with this meeting.
The Council will also convene for a briefing by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih in September.
Council members will hold three informal interactive dialogues (IIDs) this month. The first is a high-level IID with representatives of the League of Arab States (LAS). LAS Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy and a UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) official are expected to brief. Participation is expected from members of the Arab Summit Troika, a group of three rotating countries that monitor the implementation of resolutions and commitments adopted by the LAS, which consists of the outgoing, current, and incoming Arab Summit chairs. The meeting is being convened in accordance with a 29 January 2021 Security Council presidential statement (S/PRST/2021/2) that encouraged the holding of an informal meeting between Council members and LAS representatives on the margins of the General Assembly’s high-level segment, which this year runs from 18 to 28 September.
The second IID is being organised by Bahrain, France, Greece, and Latvia and will focus on artificial intelligence (AI). The anticipated briefers are Rodrigo Saad, Policy Analyst at Security Council Report (SCR); Giacomo Persi Paoli, Fellow at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR); and Naomi Miyashita, Team Leader of the Information Integrity Unit in the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO).
Additionally, Denmark and the UK intend to convene an IID on the situation in Sudan, which follows a similar IID that they convened in December 2025.
Several Middle Eastern issues will be discussed this month.
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. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Claudio Cordone and an official from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are scheduled to brief in a joint meeting on political and humanitarian issues. A civil society representative may also brief at that meeting.
The Council will also convene for its monthly meeting on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”. Ramiz Alakbarov, the Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator at the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), is expected to brief. A civil society representative may also brief. Additional meetings on this file may be convened depending on developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
The Security Council plans to address several African issues this month.
The Council is scheduled to vote on a draft resolution extending the Sudan sanctions regime, which expires on 12 September.
There will be a briefing and consultations on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC and Head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) James Swan is expected to brief. A civil society representative may also brief.
The only Asian issue scheduled for September is the Council’s quarterly briefing and consultations on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Political) Georgette Gagnon and a civil society representative may brief.
Regarding the Americas, Council members are expected to negotiate the re-authorisation of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti, whose mandate expires on 30 September.
At today’s press briefing, Bonnafont indicated that a Council meeting on Ukraine is expected to take place during the week of the General Assembly’s high-level segment.
On non-proliferation matters, a briefing is scheduled on the work of the 1737 Sanctions Committee concerning Iran. If the allocation of subsidiary body chairs is not decided by the time of the meeting, France is likely to brief in its capacity as Council president. Council members are also expected to discuss the extension of the mandate of the PoE assisting the 1737 Sanctions Committee ahead of its 27 September expiry.
Other issues could be raised during the month depending on developments. For instance, Council members will continue following closely the crisis in the Middle East and any spillover effects, such as the disruption of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Members are also likely to continue considering possible arrangements after the termination of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Council members may continue to discuss the future of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). They were unable to reach agreement on a draft text on the matter before the term of the IRMCT’s Chief Prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, expired on 30 June.
In September, Council members are expected to continue conducting “straw polls” to gauge support for candidates for the position of UN Secretary-General.
