Overview
In August, Sierra Leone will hold the presidency of the Security Council.
Sierra Leone plans to organise two signature events. The first is a debate titled “Addressing the historical injustice and enhancing Africa’s effective representation in the UN Security Council” under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio is expected to chair the meeting. The anticipated briefers are UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis, and a civil society representative.
The second signature event is an open debate titled “A New Agenda for Peace– Addressing global, regional and national aspects of conflict prevention” under the “Peacebuilding and sustaining peace” agenda item. Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Timothy Musa Kabba, is expected to chair the meeting. The anticipated briefers are Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support; Bankole Adeoye, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Hawa Sally Samai, Executive Secretary of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion in Sierra Leone, a body established by an act signed by Sierra Leone’s Parliament in December 2020 with a mandate to prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts; and a civil society representative.
Additionally, Sierra Leone intends to convene a briefing on the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda, focusing on sustaining WPS commitments in the context of accelerated drawdown of peace operations. The expected briefers are UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, and a civil society representative.
Also anticipated in August is 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.
This month, several Council members will undertake a visit to Geneva following an invitation from Switzerland to mark the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions.
Middle Eastern issues on the programme of work in August are:
- Syria, meeting on the political and humanitarian tracks;
- Yemen, monthly meeting on developments;
- “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”, the monthly meeting, with the possibility of additional meetings depending on developments in Gaza and Israel; and
- Lebanon, consultations on the work of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and renewal of the mission’s mandate.
African issues on the programme of work this month are:
- Libya, meeting on the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the work of the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee;
- Somalia, authorisation of the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and meeting to review the concept of operations (CONOPs) of the ATMIS follow-on mission pursuant to resolution 2741 of 28 June, which reauthorised ATMIS’ mandate until 12 August;
- Sudan, the semi-annual briefing of International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Asad Ahmad Khan on the ICC’s Darfur-related activities;
- South Sudan, briefing and consultations on the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS); and
- Central Africa, expected exchange of letters to renew the mandate of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA).
The only Asian issue scheduled this month is a briefing on the work of the 1718 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sanctions Committee.
As in previous months, the Council may hold one or more meetings on Ukraine in August. Council members are also likely to hold a meeting under “any other business” to mark the 16th anniversary of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.
Other issues could be raised during the month depending on developments.
