Nicolas De Rivière, Permanent Representative of the Republic of France to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East (Syria).  Sep. 30, 2019. (UN Photo Laura Jarirel)

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS   –  NEW  YORK  –  FRANCE  officially took over as President of the UN Security Council Thursday for the month of July  with a focus on humanitarian issues.  Nicolas de Riviere, French UN ambassador and president of the Council for July laid out the Council’s programme of work for the month during a press briefing with reporters at UN headquarters in New York. 

“Our responsibility:  restoring and maintaining peace. Our priority: protecting populations.”

-Nicolas de Riviere, French UN ambassador

Today, I presented France's priorities for July to @antonioguterres, when France chairs the Security Council.

We will push for action for humanitarian assistance and for peace. Our main focus: to help people in need. #FrPrez pic.twitter.com/FCq64hnq1P

— Nicolas de Rivière (@NDeRiviere) June 28, 2021

Ambassador de Riviere says most Security Council meetings expected to be held in person this month.

As a signature event of its presidency, France has chosen to convene a ministerial level briefing on preserving humanitarian space under the protection of civilians agenda item. Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will chair the meeting.    The Council is planning to vote on a resolution to renew the cross-border humanitarian assistance delivery mechanism in Syria, which expires on 10 July. There will also be the monthly meetings on the political, humanitarian and chemical weapons tracks in Syria.
Several other Middle East issues are scheduled this month:

• Yemen, the monthly meeting on developments, as well as the renewal of the mandate of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA);

• Lebanon, a meeting on the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006), which called for a cessation of hostilities between the Shi’a militant group Hezbollah and Israel

• “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”, the quarterly open debate.

AFRICA ISSUES On Security Council:

African issues anticipated in July include meetings on:

• DRC, on progress towards implementing the mandate of the UN Organization Stabilization
Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO);

• West Africa and the Sahel, the biannual briefing on the UN Office in West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS)

• Libya, a ministerial-level briefing chaired by the French Minister for Europe and Foreign  Affairs, Jean Yves Le Drian, on the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and recent developments

• Darfur, on the drawdown and closure of the UN/AU Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)