Week 91, 3 – 7 October 2022

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 French Presidency of the Security Council for September as Gabon took over the Presidency for October. The Council held meetings on Haiti, Afghanistan, Ukraine, the Middle East, and Syria. The Council failed to adopt a resolution which condemned Russia’s "illegal referenda" in Ukraine. However, it unanimously adopted a resolution which authorises Member States to inspect vessels on the high seas off Libya’s coast that they have reasonable grounds to suspect are being used for migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

• On 26 September 2022, Helen La Lime, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), told the Council that three crises have intersected in Haiti in recent weeks.  She outlined that gangs have driven more than 20,000 people from their homes, an economic crisis has led to soaring food prices and a black market for fuel, and simultaneously political stakeholders are struggling to find common ground and define a path towards elections. Ireland stressed that the economic collapse of Haiti is being exploited by gangs, who are using displacement and brutal sexual and gender-based violence, including rape and sexual slavery, to control the people.  Ireland underlined that stability in the country can only be regained through participative dialogue and a political response, led and owned by all Haitians.

Helen La Lime

•  On 27 September 2022, Markus Potzel, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, reported to the Council the Taliban’s ongoing ban on secondary education for girls and the growing restrictions on women’s rights which signal that the Taliban is willing to risk international isolation. Fawzia Koofi, former Deputy Speaker of the Afghan Parliament, stressed that the people of Afghanistan feel betrayed because the world “is still not vocal about the current gender apartheid in Afghanistan under the Taliban”. She emphasised that generations of Afghan women are excluded from public life and have become prisoners within the walls of their own homes and she voiced hope that the Security Council will act on their behalf. Ireland added that with winter approaching, the country faces alarming levels of food insecurity driven by economic shocks and aggravated by climate change, continuing violence and political upheaval.  Ireland stressed that humanitarian support alone is not enough and called on the international community to look at constructive ways to make space for more assistance on basic needs, which will help to build resilience and to prevent the worsening of crises. Acknowledging that the role of the Security Council is to respond and to call out abuses and violations, Ireland emphasised that the Taliban must be held accountable for their actions.

                   Fawzia Koofi

• Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, briefed the Council on the 27 September 2022. She underlined that as the so-called “referenda” conducted by de facto authorities in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine have been held during active armed conflict in the country, they cannot be regarded as a genuine expression of the popular will. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, addressed the Security Council via a pre-recorded video statement, detailing how people are being forced to vote while threatened with guns. He condemned the annexation of the captured territories as an attempt to steal the territory of another State and erase the norms of international law. Ireland condemned the referenda as “illegal and illegitimate” as they violate the Charter and the obligations of the Russian Federation under international law, including the law of occupation. Ireland further condemned the nuclear threats from the Russian Federation and called on the country to end its aggression immediately, to comply with its obligations under international law, and withdraw all forces unconditionally from the sovereign territory of Ukraine.
• Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Council on 28 September 2022, reporting that settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as violence against civilians, have continued. He urged Palestinian factions to redouble efforts in reuniting Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and called for international support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA). Ireland expressed concern over the recent spike in violence in Jenin and condemned the execution by Hamas of five prisoners on 4 September 2022, calling for the end of the practice of executions. Ireland urged the Council to move from talking about the need for a two-State solution to taking steps towards inclusive and lasting peace.
• On 29 September 2022, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2652 (2022), authorising Member States to inspect vessels on the high seas off Libya’s coast that they have reasonable grounds to suspect are being used for migrant smuggling and human trafficking from that country, and to seize those vessels that are confirmed as being used for those purposes.
• On 29 September 2022, Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, reported to the Council that Syria continues to place conditions on the deployment of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Declaration Assessment Team and called on Syria to cooperate fully with the body. Ireland stressed that OPCW should have the full backing of the Council in resolving outstanding issues with Syria.  Ireland is currently a member of the Executive Council of the OPCW (2022 – 2024).
• On 30 September 2022, the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution which condemned Russia’s "illegal referenda" and annexation of four Ukrainian territories and called for an immediate cessation of violence. The resolution, which was tabled by the US and Albania, was vetoed by the Russian Federation, while China, Gabon, India, and Brazil abstained. All other 10 members of the Council, including Ireland, voted in favour of the resolution. After the vote, Ireland called for the Council to submit a special report on the use of the veto in accordance with General Assembly resolution 76/262 (2022).
• Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, briefed the Security Council on 30 September 2022, in a meeting requested by the Russian Federation to discuss the recent leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines. Noting that the leaks led to the release of an unknown quantity of methane, Mr. Hanif pointed out that the gas has more than 80 times the planet-warming potency of carbon dioxide over a 20-year time frame and underscored the need to accelerate the transition to a clean and resilient energy system. Ireland emphasised that the immediate priority must be to ensure maritime safety and avert the risk of a climate and ecological disaster given the potential for a massive and highly damaging emission event. Ireland also expressed strong support for the ongoing investigations to determine the full facts of the leak and underlined that any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable.

 

Navid Hanif

The Week Ahead (3 – 7 October 2022)

This week, Gabon succeeds France as Council President for the month of October, and will host its first signature event of the month, an Open Debate on peace and security in Africa: Strengthening the fight against the financing of armed groups and terrorists through the illicit trafficking of natural resources. The Council will also be briefed on the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq.

Monday – 3 October 2022

• No official meetings.

Tuesday – 4 October 2022

• The Council will hold a briefing and consultations on the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI). Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of UNAMI, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, will brief the Council.

Wednesday – 5 October 2022

• No official meetings.

Thursday – 6 October 2022

• Gabon will host the first signature event of its October Presidency of the United Nations Security Council, an Open Debate on peace and security in Africa: Strengthening the fight against the financing of armed groups and terrorists through the illicit trafficking of natural resources. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director, Ghada Fathi Wali, the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeyoye, and a civil society representative are likely to brief.

Friday – 7 October 2022

• No official meetings.