Security Council: Press Conference

Challenges and opportunities in North Africa and the Middle East and the situations in Somalia, Haiti and Afghanistan would be highlighted at the Security Council in March, the permanent representative of the United Kingdom, which holds the body’s rotating presidency for the month, told correspondents this afternoon.

While it was currently seized with the ongoing situation in Syria and a range of issues around the world, the Security Council’s main focus in February would be a members’ mission to Haiti, according to the Permanent Representative of Togo, which holds the body’s rotating presidency for the month.

South Africa had achieved its objective of focusing the Security Council’s attention this month on a number of important and pressing Africa-related issues, Council President and South Africa’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Baso Sangqu, said during a Headquarters news conference this afternoon. “We are satisfied with the progress we have made during this presidency,”Mr.Sangqu said.

The Security Council would hold five briefings, 11 closed consultations and three formal debates in January, covering the Middle East, justice and the rule of law, and cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union, according to the programme of work outlined by Council President Baso Sangqu (South Africa) at Headquarters today.

“The transition process in Yemen is moving forward with the participation of all sides,” the Special Adviser dealing with the situation in that troubled country said at Headquarters today, adding that the United Nations would continue to support the 10-day old unity Government as it implemented a landmark power-transfer accord that would “hopefully steer the country towards stability and reform”.

The Security Council work programme for December would contain 18 open meetings — including 2 debates, 11 briefings and 5 meetings to adopt draft resolutions — as well as 20 closed consultations, Council President Vitaly Churkin (Russian Federation) said at Headquarters today.

Saying that the Security Council was, as usual, looking at a fairly busy schedule for the coming month, José Filipe Moraes Cabral (Portugal), its President for November, today outlined its programme of work comprising both new and traditional agenda items.

Saying she expected a “good ride” for the Security Council this month, U. Joy Ogwu (Nigeria), its President for October, today outlined a programme of work comprising a varied mix of both new and routine agenda items. Briefing at a Headquarters press conference, she said that since the world was not static but dynamic, the work programme allowed for the addition of new items, to be dealt with as and when they arose.

While remaining seized of ongoing situations of concern in Libya, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan and elsewhere, the Security Council planned to focus on preventive diplomacy when world leaders arrived for the opening of the upcoming General Assembly session, Nawaf Salam (Lebanon), Council President for September, said at Headquarters today.

With the situations in Syria, Libya and Somalia becoming increasingly more worrisome, and attention needed on peacekeeping and other issues, the usually light August agenda of the Security Council was quickly filling up, the permanent representative of India, which holds presidency of the body for the month, said this afternoon.