The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold several significant sessions this week, addressing critical issues in the Middle East region, including Lebanon, Yemen, and Western Sahara.
The Security Council announced on Monday that today it will hold a semi-annual closed consultation regarding the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of Resolution 1559 concerning Lebanon. The briefing will be delivered by Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo.
On Tuesday, the Security Council will convene an open monthly briefing and closed consultations on Yemen, where Special Envoy Hans Grundberg, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya, and a representative of civil society will provide updates. Additionally, Michael Beary, head of the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement, will also brief the Council.
The Council will also receive a quarterly briefing on Colombia, delivered by Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative and Head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, alongside a civil society representative. Following the open briefing, closed consultations will be held.
On Wednesday, the Council will hold closed consultations on the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara Staffan de Mistura and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Alexander Ivanko, will provide the briefing.
Later on Wednesday, a meeting with countries contributing forces to the UN Mission in the Central African Republic will take place, where Martha Ama Akya, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, will participate.
On Wednesday, the ninth joint informal annual seminar between the UN Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council will be held over two days.
This Friday, the 18th annual joint consultative meeting between the UN Security Council and the African Union will take place. The Security Council will also closely monitor the situation in Sudan, especially the ongoing fighting in El Fasher, with members negotiating a draft statement calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities through dialogue in Sudan’s most vulnerable regions.
Negotiations are likely to continue this week on a draft statement proposed by Switzerland regarding a high-level briefing on “anticipating the impact of scientific developments on international peace and security,” scheduled for October 21. Additionally, discussions on a draft presidential statement regarding the UN’s regional office in Central Africa, submitted by Mozambique and the United Kingdom, will be ongoing.
Regarding the Security Council’s subsidiary bodies, informal consultations will be held today by the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, to negotiate conclusions on the Secretary-General’s report on children and armed conflict in the Philippines. On Wednesday, the Council will hold a formal meeting of the Military Staff Committee to discuss the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the work of the UN Mission in the Congo. On Thursday, informal consultations will take place regarding sanctions on Yemen, with a briefing by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
