Overview
In September, Slovenia will hold the presidency of the Security Council.
Slovenia plans to organise one signature event, a high-level open debate on “Leadership for Peace” under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob is expected to chair the meeting, which will be held during the UN General Assembly’s high-level segment. Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to brief. The open debate is designed to generate ideas for addressing some of the most intractable peace and security challenges facing the Council, such as conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, among others.
This month, the Security Council will hold an open debate on peacekeeping reform pursuant to resolution 2378 of 20 September 2017. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is expected to brief.
Council members are also expected to hold a high-level Informal Interactive Dialogue (IID) with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (LAS), Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and 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 (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Iraq). Slovenia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, will chair the meeting, which 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.
Fajon will also chair two Council meetings on regional files: the quarterly briefing and consultations on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the monthly briefing and consultations on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”.
In September, the Council expects to receive a briefing from Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator (SHRC) for Gaza Sigrid Kaag in line with resolution 2720 of 22 December 2023. Additional meetings on this file may be convened depending on developments in Israel and Gaza.
Other Middle Eastern issues on the programme are:
- Syria, meetings on political/humanitarian issues and chemical weapons; and
- Yemen, monthly briefing and consultations.
African issues on the programme of work in September are:
- Sudan, briefing on the work of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee and renewal of the sanctions regime;
- Libya, renewal of the authorisation to inspect and seize vessels suspected of being used for migrant smuggling or human trafficking; and
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), briefing and consultations on the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the work of the 1533 DRC Sanctions Committee.
In September, the Security Council may renew the authorisation of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti, which expires on 2 October.
As in previous months, the Council may hold one or more meetings on Ukraine in September. Other issues could be raised during the month depending on developments.
