UN Photo/Amanda Voisa /   Ambassador Sven Jürgenson, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Estonia to the United Nations, and President of the UN Security Council for May 2020. 

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC TIMES

UNITED NATIONS – NEW YORK –  The Republic of Estonia officially took over as President of the UN Security Council Friday for the month of May.   Ambassador Sven Jürgenson, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Estonia to the UN Security Council and President of the Council in May,  laid out the Council’s programme of work for the month.  Ambassador Jürgenson addressed journalists Friday via a video teleconference. The presidency of the council is held by each of the members for one month, following the English alphabetical order of the member states’ Names.  Estonia follows the  Dominican Republic which held the presidency the month of March.  Ambassador Jürgenson said Estonia plans to pay particular attention to the connections between the COVID-19 pandemic and the security environment, cybersecurity, the fundamental principles of international law, including the protection of civilians, and increasing the transparency of the Security Council during the crisis. The Security Council is currently meeting by video and the working methods of the Council during the crisis are in particular focus.

“We consider it important to ensure the maximum efficiency of the Security Council’s work even via vid eo meetings, and the maximum availability of open meetings to the public and other UN member states,”

-Estonia Ambassador Sven Jürgenson 

In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures that required the UN world headquarters in New York close to all but essential staff in late March, the Security Council became literally invisible.  It became apparent that the strict social distancing measures required to curb the spread of COVID-19 would leave the Council unable to meet physically.  Members, with Secretariat support, then began preparing for the use of video teleconferencing (VTC) instead.  However, the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group of 25 member states raised concerns about the Council’s ability to discharge its mandate amid a lack of physical face-to-face meetings. Building on the newly emerging practices and using the terminology developed under the Chinese UN Security Council presidency, the Dominican Republic under its April presidency proposed two types of Video Teleconferencing meetings (VTCs), open and closed, with open VTCs being equivalent to briefings or debates and closed VTCs being reserved for meetings that would have taken place in consultations. The briefings in open VTCs were to be broadcast live and then stored in the UN video archives.  And since 21 April, the exchanges between Council members after open VTC briefings have also been broadcast and archived.

There will be two virtual open debates this month. The first is a meeting on working methods, with briefers still to be announced, and the second is on protection of civilians, where Secretary-General António Guterres and ICRC President Peter Maurer are the anticipated briefers.  Several regular Middle East meetings are scheduled. On Syria, open and closed video teleconferences (VTCs) on the political and humanitarian situation and a closed VTC on the use of chemical weapons are anticipated. A closed VTC briefing is expected on developments in Yemen.  Two closed VTC meetings are anticipated on Lebanon. The first is on the implementation of resolution 1701, which called for a cessation of hostilities between the Shi’a militant group Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 and which was originally scheduled in March but postponed because of COVID-19 pandemic–related measures. The second meeting is on the implementation of resolution 1559, which called for the disarmament of all militias and the extension of government control over all Lebanese territory. Regarding African issues, there will be several meetings on Libya. The ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, will provide her semi-annual briefing on Libya in a closed VTC.   There will be open and closed VTCs on UNSMIL and Libya sanctions.   The Estonia ambassador said there will also be meetings on security in Africa, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.  There is also  an open VTC briefing on the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (FC-G5S), focused on the Secretary-General’s bi-annual report on the FC-G5S, is anticipated.  Regarding European issues, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, who assumed the position on 1 December, will brief Council members in an open VTC  breifing on peace and security in Europe.