Week 28, 12-16 July 2021

Recent developments at the UNSC

• Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, visited the UNIFIL headquarters in South Lebanon on Monday 5 July 2021 and announced an additional 1 million in funding for the World Food Programme in the country.
• Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason called for gender quality and the empowerment of women in a Security Council meeting on the situation in the DRC on Wednesday 7 Jul 2021.
• Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, condemned the killing of the President of Haiti, Jovenal Moise, on Wednesday 7 July 2021. The Security Council condemned the killing in a press statement on Thursday 8 July 2021.
• Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason addressed the Security Council as a co-penholder on the West Africa and Sahel file (UNOWAS) on Thursday 8 July 2021.
• The Security Council renewed the Syria cross-border humanitarian resolution on Friday 9 July 2021 for a further 12 months. As co-penholders on the file, Ireland and Norway thanked Security Council members for their constructive engagement.

Monday –12th July

• Monthly meeting on the Syria chemical weapons track in closed consultations. Thomas Markram, Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, is the anticipated briefer.

Tuesday – 13th July

• Open briefing on Colombia. Special Representative and head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia Carlos Ruiz Massieu will brief on recent developments and the Secretary-General’s latest 90-day report on the mission, issued on 25 June 2021. A civil society representative is also expected to brief.

Wednesday – 14th July

• The Council is scheduled to vote on a draft resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA).
• Monthly meeting on Yemen. Briefings are expected from a representative from the Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs; Ramesh Rajasingham, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; and head of UNMHA General Abhijit Guha.

Thursday – 15th July

• Ministerial-level briefing on Libya. Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will chair the meeting. Special Envoy to Libya and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Ján Kubiš is the anticipated briefer.
• The Council will hold a meeting with troop contributing countries of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). Special Representative and head of UNFICYP Elizabeth Spehar will brief.

Friday – 16th July

• Ministerial-level briefing on “preserving humanitarian space” under the protection of civilians in armed conflict agenda item. Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs will chair. The expected briefers are Secretary-General António Guterres; Robert Mardini, the Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross; and Lucile Grosjean, Delegate Director of Advocacy at Action Against Hunger.