Status Update since our June Forecast
Iraq (UNITAD)
On 5 June, the Security Council held an open briefing (S/PV.9645) on the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL in Iraq (UNITAD). Acting Special Adviser and Head of UNITAD Ana Peyró Llopis presented UNITAD’s 12th and final biannual report (S/2024/408) before the expiration of the team’s final mandate on 17 September.
Ukraine
On 7 June, the Security Council held a briefing on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine (S/PV.9647). France requested the meeting in light of the intensification of Russian attacks against the north-eastern Kharkiv region. Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya briefed the Council.
On 18 June, the Council convened for an open briefing on Ukraine (S/PV.9660). Slovenia and the US, the co-penholders on political issues in Ukraine, requested the meeting to discuss recent developments, including the “Summit on Peace in Ukraine”, which Switzerland hosted on 15 and 16 June at Ukraine’s request. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo briefed.
UNOCA (Central Africa)
On 10 June, the Security Council held a briefing and consultations 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) (S/PV.9648). Special Representative and Head of UNOCA Abdou Abarry and the President of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) Commission, Gilberto da Piedade Verissimo, briefed.
Counter-Terrorism
On 10 June, the Council adopted resolution 2734 on the 1267/1989/2253 Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions regime. Among other matters, the resolution extended the mandates of the 1267/1988 Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team and the Office of the Ombudsperson. It received 14 votes in favour and one abstention (Russia).
DPRK (North Korea)
On 12 June, the Council convened an open briefing on the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) under the agenda item “The situation in the DPRK” (S/PV.9653). The meeting was requested by Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), the UK, and the US. The briefers were: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK Elizabeth Salmón, and Gumhyok Kim, a refugee from the DPRK. China and Russia objected to the provisional agenda for the meeting and requested a procedural vote on its adoption. The provisional agenda was subsequently adopted with 12 votes in favour, two against (China and Russia), and one abstention (Mozambique).
On 28 June, the Council convened for a meeting on the DPRK under the “Non-proliferation/DPRK” agenda item (S/PV.9676). France, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), the UK, and the US requested the session following a 19 June meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, where the two leaders signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu and Jonah Leff, Director of Operations at Conflict Armament Research, briefed.
Arria-formula Meeting on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict
On 12 June, there was an Arria-formula meeting titled “Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: prevent and respond to persons going missing across the globe”. Switzerland convened the meeting together with The Global Alliance for the Missing, a coalition of 13 member states seeking to raise awareness about the issue of missing persons and separated families and to mobilise action to address it. The briefers were Ambassador Tareq Albanai, Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the UN; Dr. Luz Janeth Forero Martínez, Director of the Unit for the Search for Persons Deemed as Missing in Colombia; Florence Anselmo, Head of the ICRC’s Central Tracing Agency; and Ram Kumar Bhandari, Founder and Director of Network of Families of the Disappeared in Nepal.
Sudan
On 13 June, the Security Council adopted resolution 2736, demanding that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sudanese paramilitary group, halt the siege of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, and calling for an immediate halt to the fighting and for de-escalation in and around El Fasher. The resolution further demanded that all parties to the conflict ensure the protection of civilians (including by allowing civilians to move within and out of El Fasher to safer areas) and recalled that all civilians must be protected in accordance with international law. The resolution was adopted with 14 votes in favour and one abstention (Russia).
On 18 June, the Security Council held a briefing and consultations on the situation in Sudan (S/PV.9659), pursuant to resolution 2715 of 1 December 2023, which terminated the mandate of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS). Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Director of OCHA’s Operations and Advocacy Division Edem Wosornu, and Senior Programme Director of the Sudan Family Planning Association Limiaa Ahmed briefed in the open chamber. Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan Ramtane Lamamra briefed during the closed consultations. Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) participated under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.
UNDOF (Golan)
Council members held consultations on the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on 13 June. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix briefed. On 27 June, the Security Council adopted resolution 2737, renewing the UNDOF mandate until 31 December 2024.
Implementation of Resolution 2686 on Tolerance and International Peace and Security
On 14 June, the Security Council received a briefing on the implementation of resolution 2686 of 14 June 2023 on tolerance and international peace and security from Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Wairimu Nderitu (S/PV.9657). Resolution 2686 requested the Secretary-General to provide an oral briefing to the Council by 14 June 2024 on the resolution’s implementation “in the context of situations throughout the peace continuum which are on the agenda of the Council, utilizing information from available United Nations sources, including country teams, peacekeeping operations, and other United Nations personnel”.
Libya
On 19 June, the Security Council held an open briefing (S/PV.9661) followed by closed consultations on Libya. Deputy Special Representative and Political Officer in Charge of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Stephanie Koury briefed the Council on recent political, security, and humanitarian developments in the country. Libya participated in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.
The chair of the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Yamazaki Kazuyuki (Japan), was also scheduled to brief the Council on his periodic report on the committee’s activities. This briefing was not held, however, because of an apparent lack of consensus on the chair’s report. It seems that one elected member had requested the report to reflect that another member had opposed its request for archived information predating its Council term. The other member had apparently argued that such requests required discussion in the Informal Working Group on Working Methods.
Cybersecurity
On 20 June, the Republic of Korea (ROK) convened a high-level open debate on cybersecurity as a signature event of its June presidency (S/PV.9662). The ROK’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cho Tae-yul, chaired the meeting. The briefers were: Secretary-General António Guterres; Stéphane Duguin, the CEO of the CyberPeace Institute, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that provides cybersecurity assistance to non-governmental organisations and other critical sectors; and Nnenna Ifeanyi-Ajufo, Professor of Law and Technology at Leeds Beckett University and Vice Chair of the African Union Cyber Security Experts Group.
Afghanistan
On 21 June, the Council convened for an open briefing on Afghanistan (S/PV.9663). The briefers were: Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Roza Otunbayeva, OCHA’s Director for Financing and Partnerships Lisa Doughten, and Manizha Wafeq, Co-founder of the Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Closed consultations followed the open briefing.
Somalia
On 24 June, the Security Council held a briefing and consultations on the situation in Somalia (S/PV.9665). The briefers were Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) James Swan and Special Representative of the AU Commission Chairperson (SRCC) for Somalia and Head of the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) Mohamed El-Amine Souef. Somalia participated under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. On 28 June, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2741, extending the authorisation of the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) until 12 August 2024.
Iran
On 24 June, the Security Council held its biannual briefing (S/PV.9666) on the implementation of resolution 2231 of 20 July 2015, which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear programme. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo briefed on the Secretary-General’s latest report (S/2024/471) on the implementation of resolution 2231. In addition, the Council’s facilitator for the implementation of resolution 2231, Ambassador Vanessa Frazier (Malta), reported on the Council’s work regarding resolution 2231, and the head of the EU delegation to the UN, Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, briefed on the work of the JCPOA’s Joint Commission. Germany and Iran participated in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.
Children and Armed Conflict
On 26 June, the Council held its annual open debate on children and armed conflict (S/PV.9669). Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba briefed on the Secretary-General’s annual report on children and armed conflict, dated 3 June (S/2024/384). The Council was also briefed by UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations Ted Chaiban, former UN Secretary-General and Deputy Chair of the Elders Ban Ki-moon, and a child civil society representative from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
International Criminal Tribunals
On 27 June, the Council adopted resolution 2740 on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). The vote was 14 in favour, none against and one abstention (Russia). Among other matters, the resolution reappointed Serge Brammertz as Chief Prosecutor for another two years, until 30 June 2026.
