Week 65, 4 - 8 April 2022

Ireland and the UN Security Council – This Week

This bulletin will provide a brief analysis of last week’s meetings at the UN Security Council (UNSC), and an overview of the upcoming meetings this week.

Last week was the final week of the United Arab Emirates presidency of the Security Council, with the United Kingdom assuming the Presidency role for the month of April. The Council held meetings on Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Golan Heights and Libya. As the war in Ukraine continued the Council met to discuss the worsening humanitarian situation and the threat to global food security, Ireland highlighted the concerning situation of refugees and internally displaced persons in Ukraine.

• Following the Security Council’s meeting on 25 March 2022, Council President Lana Zaki Nusseibeh (United Arab Emirates) released a Press Statement on 27 March 2022, expressing deep concern regarding the reported decision by the Taliban to deny girls above the sixth grade access to education in Afghanistan. 
• The Chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee, Harold Adlai Agyeman, presented the quarterly update to the Security Council on 28 March 2022, reporting that insufficient financial support by donor countries, and intercommunal tensions are disrupting the peace process.
• Volker Perthes, the SGSR and Head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), presented an overview of the SG’s 90-day report on this Mission to the Security Council on 28 March 2022. Ireland highlighted the use of sexual violence in Sudan as a means to intimidate and punish women and men exercising their political rights, and called for investigations into these crimes.
• In a Security Council meeting on the Democratic Republic of Congo on 29 March 2022 Ireland expressed deep concern about violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed by armed groups and state agents.
• The Security Council met to discuss the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine on 29 March 2022. Ireland expressed concern over the increasing vulnerability of refugees and internally displaced persons in Ukraine, as well as the lives being lost due to food insecurity caused by the war.
• The Council held consultations on the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) activities in the Golan Heights on 30 March 2022, an important discussion for Ireland as Irish peacekeepers are currently deployed with the mission.
• The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on 31 March 2022, to reconfigure the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) into the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia.
• In a Presidential Statement, adopted by the Security Council on 31 March 2022, the Council asked the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals to submit a progress report by 14 April 2022, on the work it is doing on accountability and the completion of the work on the Yugoslav and Rwanda tribunals.
• The Security Council received updates from the SG’s Special Advisor on Libya, Stephanie Williams,  during an informal discussion on 31 March 2022.
• On 1 April 2022 the United Kingdom assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council for April.
• The Security Council released a Press Statement on 1 April 2022, expressing deep concern over the crash of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) helicopter that occurred on 29 March 2022.

The Week Ahead (4 – 8 April 2022)

This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the UN Security Council for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also expected to speak. Meanwhile Russia is planning to hold an Arria-formula meeting on threats to international peace and security emanating from military biological activities in regions across the globe. Meetings will also take place on Mali, and Colombia. 

Monday – 4 April 2022

• No official meetings. Ambassador Barbara Woodward, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the UN, will brief on the programme of work for the UNSC during the month of April, and outline the priority areas for the UK’s presidency of the Council.

Tuesday – 5 April 2022

• The Council will hold a briefing on the situation in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is expected to address the meeting. UN Secretary-General (SG) Antonio Guterres is also expected to speak.

Wednesday – 6 April 2022

• Russia will hold an Arria-formula meeting on threats to international peace and security emanating from military biological activities in regions across the globe.

Thursday – 7 April 2022

• The Council will hold a briefing and consultations on the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) El-Ghassim Wane will brief.

Friday – 8 April 2022

• The Informal Expert Group (IEG) on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), which is co-chaired by Ireland, will discuss recent developments in Colombia, ahead of the quarterly Council meeting on Colombia on 12 April. The briefer will be SRSG, Carlos Ruiz Massieu.
• The UK will hold informal ‘Sofa Talks’ for Council Permanent Representatives on Data and technology: challenges and opportunities for conflict prevention and resolution. The objective is to consider how data analytics and technological innovation could be better used to inform the Council’s decision-making and responses, as well as UN work in conflict-affected countries.  It is interesting to note that the concept of “Sofa talks” was initiated by the former UK Permanent Representative, Karen Pierce, and are described as gatherings without an agenda or minutes, where attendance is limited to Permanent Representatives. They are unscripted meetings which aim to develop a problem solving mindset amongst participants.