Press Conference by Security Council President on Work Programme for September
The Security Council will convene two ministerial meetings in September, the first on cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations and the second on peace and security in Africa, Vassily A. Nebenzia (Russian Federation), its President for September, said today.
Speaking at a Headquarters press conference, he said those signature events will be held during the high-level week of the General Assembly and presided over by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The debate on 25 September will focus on the role of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Commonwealth of Independent States, he said, adding that briefers will include the Secretaries‑General of these regional alliances, as well as United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. A day later, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Chef de Cabinet to the Secretary-General, will brief the Council during a 26 September meeting on peace and security in Africa.
Among the other highlights, he said, is a 9 September debate on the reform of United Nations peacekeeping, during which members will hear from Under‑Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
On 10 September, the Council will hold its quarterly debate on Afghanistan, he said, with briefings by Tadamichi Yamamoto, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA); Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani (Indonesia), as chair of the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee; and Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Turning to the Middle East, he said the Council will be briefed on the situations in Yemen on 16 September, in Syria on 19 September and on the Israel-Palestine conflict on 20 September. Regarding peace and security in Africa, the Council will hear briefings on the situations in Libya on 4 September, in Guinea‑Bissau on 10 September and in South Sudan on 18 September.
On 20 September, he said the Council is expected to renew the mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia for another year.
Responding to questions, Mr. Nebenzia said his delegation will present “a picture of what’s really happening” in Idlib, Syria, that will discredit accusations against the Russian air force.
On Iran, he said the Russian Federation is seeking to save the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in anticipation of “something cooking” towards the high-level week.
Regarding the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, he said no consultations are scheduled, as no Council member requested a meeting.
For the full programme of work, please see www.un.org/securitycouncil/events/calendar.