Week 27, 5-9 July 2021

Recent developments at the UNSC

• President Michael D Higgins addressed the Security Council at the annual open debate on Children and Armed Conflict on Monday 28 June 2021. He emphasised the importance of access to education and endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration.
• Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, addressed the Security Council’s first ever open debate on Cybersecurity on Tuesday 29 June 2021. He noted the ransomware attack on Ireland’s public healthcare systems last month and expressed support for a multilateral and rules based approach to cybersecurity.
• Four resolutions were adopted by the Security Council on Tuesday 29 June 2021: UNDOF mandate renewal, DRC sanctions renewal, date of by-election for the International Court of Justice and the MINUSMA mandate renewal.
• Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason briefed the Security Council for the first time as Facilitator for UNSC resolution 2231 (Iran nuclear deal) on Wednesday 30 June 2021 and received praise from all UNSC members. Ireland also briefed the UNSC in its national capacity on this issue.
• France took over from Estonia as President of the Security Council for the month of July on Thursday 1 July 2021.
• The Security Council held its first open meeting on the conflict in Tigray at the request of Ireland on Friday 2 July 2021. Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator,  Ramesh Rajasingham, said that 400,000 people have “crossed the threshold into famine” – with another 1.8 million on the brink of following them.

Monday – 5^th July

• UN Official Holiday

Tuesday – 6^th July

• Monthly meeting on the humanitarian situation in Syria in closed consultations. Ramesh Rajasingham, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, is the anticipated briefer.

Wednesday – 7^th July

• Briefing on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Special Representative and head of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), Bintou Keita, will brief on the latest report of the Secretary-General, issued on 21 June 2021.

Thursday – 8th July

Vote on a draft resolution renewing the cross-border mechanism to deliver aid into Syria authorised under resolution 2533 of 11 July 2020. Ireland and Norway are the co-penholders on this resolution.

Biannual briefing on West Africa and the Sahel. Special Representative and head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mahamat Saleh Annadif, will brief. Ireland is co-penholder with Niger on this file.

Friday – 9th July

Meeting of the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions (IWG). The IWG is expected to discuss proposals from the open debate on working methods which was held on 16 June 2021 and examine the conduct of Security Council meetings, including the speakers list.