Week 97, 14 – 18 November 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, the Security Council held the second signature event of the Ghanian Presidency in the form of a debate entitled, ‘Counter Terrorism in Africa: An Imperative for Peace, Security and Development’. The Council was also briefed by Izumi Nakamitsu regarding Syria’s lack of cooperation with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Karim Khan, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court gave his semi-annual briefing to the Council on the situation in Libya.

• On 7 November 2022, Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, briefed the Security Council. She reiterated the call to Syria to fully and urgently cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to close all outstanding issues regarding its chemical weapons declarations. Ireland, noting a pattern of non-cooperation by Syria, said that both Syria and the Russian Federation, actively seek to undermine the OPCW’s authority. Ireland called on Syria to engage urgently in a serious and meaningful way with the Technical Secretariat to resolve the 20 outstanding issues with its initial declaration.

Izumi Nakamitsu

• On 9 November 2022, Karim Khan, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court delivered his semi-annual briefing to the Council on the situation in Libya, after the first visit of his office to Libya in a decade. He detailed harrowing visits to sites of torture and execution and reported that Libyan forensic experts unearthed as many as 250 bodies from mounds of rubbish. He detailed progress made by his office since his last address to the Council in April, including the gathering of a variety of evidentiary material, and greater engagement with Libyan authorities. Ireland said that accountability for atrocity crimes should be central to Libya’s pursuit of peace and democracy and underlined that the Council’s referral of the Libyan situation to the International Criminal Court is critical for accountability for international crimes and for long-term peace and stability in the country.

Karim Khan

• On 10 November 2022, the second signature event of the Ghanian Presidency of the Council took place in the form of a debate entitled, ‘Counter Terrorism in Africa: An Imperative for Peace, Security and Development’. Addressing the Council, Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, emphasised that nowhere has terrorism been felt more keenly than in Africa, underscoring that terrorists and violent extremists, including Da’esh, Al-Qaida and their affiliates have exploited instability and conflict to increase their activities and intensify attacks across the continent.   Acknowledging that Council-mandated measures to counter terrorism, including sanctions, are crucial to deter and address terrorist threats, Ireland highlighted that such measure can have unintended negative humanitarian impacts.  To address this, Ireland, together with the United States, has introduced a draft resolution providing for a humanitarian exemption across all sanctions regimes. Ireland urged all Council members to support that initiative.

Amina Mohammed

The Week Ahead (14 -18 November 2022)

This week, the Security Council will hold meetings on both the Syria Political and Humanitarian files. The Council will be briefed on the Great Lakes region, the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei. The quarterly open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including on the Palestinian Question, will also take place.

This week, the Council will be briefed on police components of UN peacekeeping operations and the activities of the Joint Force of the G5 Sahel. The 20^th ‘Hitting the Ground Running’ Workshop for newly-elected Members of the Security Council will take place.

Monday – 14 November 2022

• The annual briefings on police components of UN peacekeeping operations will take place with a focus on United Nations Police’s contribution to the Action for Peacekeeping Priorities (A4P+). Briefers will include Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Ms. Christine Fossen, Police Commissioner, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Mr. Mody Berethe, Police Commissioner, The United Nations Organization Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), and Dr. Emma Birikorang, Deputy Director at the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.  
• The Council is expected to adopt resolutions renewing the mandates of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) mandate, and the Somalia sanctions 751 regime.

Tuesday – 15 November 2022

• No official meetings.

Wednesday – 16 November 2022

• The Council will be briefed on the UN Secretary General’s regular bi-annual report on the activities of the Joint Force of the G5 Sahel (FC-G5S).

Thursday – 17 November 2022

• The 20^th ‘Hitting the Ground Running’ Workshop for newly-elected Members of the Security Council, hosted by Finland, will take place. The annual event is an opportunity for current members, including Ireland, to reflect on events of the last year within the Council, to speak about their experience, and to on-board new members.

Friday – 18 November 2022

• No official meetings.