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Latest post: Wed 12 Aug 2026Insights on the work of the UN Security Council
Yemen: Briefing and Consultations*
Tomorrow morning (13 August), the Security Council will hold a briefing on Yemen. The anticipated briefers are UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher.* Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing.
Yemen has recently experienced a sharp escalation in hostilities between the internationally recognised government backed by Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebel group backed by Iran. The Houthis took de facto control of the capital Sana’a in 2014, igniting a civil war during which a Saudi-led military coalition attempted to oust the group, with devastating humanitarian consequences. Following a UN-brokered truce in 2022, the political and security situation has been deadlocked. In early July, actions by the Saudi-led coalition to prevent the Houthis from resuming flights between Sana’a and Iran without the Yemeni government’s permission triggered renewed clashes between the parties. (For more information, see the brief on Yemen in our August 2026 Monthly Forecast.)
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Tomorrow morning (11 August), the Security Council will hold an open briefing on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” (MEPQ). The Council’s five European members—Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, and the UK, collectively known as the “E5”—requested...
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On Monday morning (10 August), there will be an Arria-formula meeting titled “Implementing international humanitarian law: prisoners of war, civilian detainees and foreign fighters, in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine”. Latvia and the UK are organising the meeting,...
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Tomorrow morning (7 August), Somalia will convene an Arria-formula meeting titled “Safeguarding Education in Sudan: Investing in Peace, Recovery and Stability”. The meeting is being co-sponsored by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Liberia. Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman...
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Tomorrow morning (6 August), the Security Council will hold an open briefing on the situation in South Sudan and the work of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS Anita Kiki Gbeho is expected to...
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Tomorrow afternoon (5 August), Security Council members will convene for closed consultations on Sudan. Denmark and the UK (the penholder on the file) requested the meeting to receive an update on the humanitarian situation in the country, specifically in light...
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Tomorrow morning (5 August), the Security Council will convene for a briefing on the Secretary-General’s 23rd 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. The anticipated...
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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...
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Tomorrow morning (30 July), Security Council members will participate in the first straw poll to select a candidate to recommend to the General Assembly as the next UN Secretary-General. Article 97 of the UN Charter states that the “Secretary-General shall...
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Tomorrow morning (29 July), Security Council members will convene for closed consultations to receive the biannual briefing on the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA). Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNRCCA Kaha Imnadze...
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On Wednesday morning (29 July), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution extending the sanctions measures imposed on armed groups operating in the Central African Republic (CAR) until 31 July 2027, and the mandate of the...
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Tomorrow (28 July), the Security Council will hold its quarterly open debate on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” (MEPQ). The anticipated briefer is Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator at the Office of the UN...
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On Monday morning (27 July), the Security Council will hold an open briefing on Ukraine. The meeting was requested by Ukraine in a 20 July letter and supported by the Council’s European members (Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, and the UK)....
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Tomorrow (23 July), the Security Council will hold a high-level open debate on “Strengthening the mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes: follow-up to Security Council resolution 2788”, under the agenda item “Maintenance of international peace and security”. Thérèse Kayikwamba...
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This afternoon (21 July), Security Council members will hold an Arria-formula meeting on transitional justice and missing persons in Syria. The meeting is being organised by Colombia and Denmark, along with non-Council members Luxembourg and Syria. The expected briefers are...
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On Monday morning (20 July), the Security Council will hold an open briefing and closed consultations on Haiti. Special Representative and Head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative for the Gang Suppression Force...
