Russia is the president of the Security Council in June. As its signature event, it plans to hold a debate late in the month that focuses on the roots of crisis in the Middle East and North Africa.

The month began today with a vote on a draft resolution on the protection of civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Gaza, which was vetoed by the US. Subsequently, a US draft condemning “terrorist organizations such as Hamas” for the violence in Gaza failed to receive the required nine votes to be adopted.

The Council is also expected to engage on several other issues related to the Middle East this month. There will be the regular briefings on chemical weapons and on the political and humanitarian situations in Syria. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu is expected to brief on chemical weapons. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura may brief on the political situation, and John Ging, Director of OCHA’s Operational Division, is expected to brief on the humanitarian situation.

The monthly meeting on the Middle East (Israel/Palestine) will most likely feature a briefing by Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov. This will be followed by consultations.

Council members will meet with the troop- and police-contributing countries to UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). A representative of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is also expected to brief Council members in consultations on UNDOF’s work. The Council is scheduled to adopt a resolution extending the mission’s mandate, which expires on 30 June, for six months.

Special Envoy Martin Griffiths is expected to brief Council members on Yemen in consultations.

The Council may renew the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) this month.

A briefing is expected late in the month on the implementation of resolution 2231, which endorsed the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Briefers are expected to include Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo; EU Ambassador to the UN João Vale de Almeida, as the EU serves as coordinator of the Joint Commission which oversees the implementation of the JCPOA; and Ambassador Karel van Oosterom (the Netherlands) as facilitator for the implementation of resolution 2231.

Several African issues are on the programme this month. Sudan and South Sudan issues will be a key focus of the Council’s work. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is expected to brief on both the AU/UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) during the month. These briefings will be followed by consultations.

The Council is expected to adopt a resolution renewing the mandate of UNAMID, prior to its expiry on 30 June.

The semi-annual briefing of ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on the court’s work in Sudan is also scheduled for June.

There will be several meetings on Mali this month. Council members will meet with troop- and police-contributing countries to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The Council expects to receive a briefing from Lacroix, followed by consultations, on the work of MINUSMA. It is also scheduled to adopt a resolution renewing MINUSMA’s mandate.

Central Africa will also be a focus for the Council. François Louncény Fall, Special Representative and head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), is expected to brief the Council on UNOCA and the implementation of the UN regional strategy to combat the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Consultations are scheduled after the briefing.

There will be a briefing, followed by consultations, on the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Bintou Keita is expected to provide the briefing.

There will be an informal interactive dialogue on Libya regarding efforts by member states to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya bound to or from the country that they have reasonable grounds to believe are violating the arms embargo. Anticipated briefers include Enrico Credendino, Commander of EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia, and Pedro Serrano, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service. If members agree on the need to renew the authorisation for member states to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya, an adoption will be scheduled on Libya sanctions before the authorisation expires on 12 June.

The mandate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sanctions regime and the Group of Experts assisting the 1533 DRC Sanctions Committee will also be renewed during the month.

Two Asian issues are scheduled this month. The Council will hold its quarterly debate on Afghanistan and will consider the latest Secretary-General’s report on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA Tadamichi Yamamoto is expected to brief. A representative from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime might also brief.

The Special Representative and head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), Natalia Gherman, is scheduled to brief Council members in consultations late in the month.

Several thematic issues will be addressed in June. The Council expects to hold the semi-annual debate on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), which was established in 2010 to carry out the remaining essential functions of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) after their respective closures. The IRMCT’s president, Judge Theodor Meron, and the IRMCT’s prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, are expected to brief. A resolution renewing the IRMCT will also be adopted this month, prior to the expiration of its mandate on 30 June.

The Council expects briefings by Ambassadors Ion Jinga (Romania) and Cho Tae-yul (Republic of Korea), the current and former chairs, respectively, of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), presenting the PBC’s annual report. On the same day, Council members are expected to convene an informal interactive dialogue with representatives of the PBC.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) elections will be held in June as the Security Council and General Assembly will need to elect a judge to the ICJ due to the resignation of Judge Hisashi Owada (Japan).

On 8 June, the General Assembly is scheduled to elect five non-permanent Council members. Six member states—Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia, the Maldives and South Africa—are running for the five available seats. Indonesia and the Maldives are contesting the single Asia-Pacific Group seat, while the other four candidates are running unopposed.

Other issues that may come up during the month include Ukraine and non-proliferation, which are in the footnotes of the programme of work.