Press Conference: Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia…

The Security Council’s programme for April features three open debates, including a signature event on risks stemming from violations of the agreements regulating the export of weapons and military equipment, its President for April told a Headquarters press conference today.

Vassily Nebenzia (Russian Federation) said the open debate to be held on 10 April will be an opportunity for a broad swathe of States to consider the negative consequences of non-compliance with agreements on export of weapons and military equipment.  

The open debate on 24 April — on effective multilateralism through the defence of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations — will be chaired by Sergey Lavrov, his country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, and will focus on how to build a new multipolar world order based on sovereign equality, while maintaining the global balance of power and ensuring the conditions for humanity’s steady advance.

Minister Lavrov will also chair the open debate on the Middle East on 25 April, which will feature Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, as a briefer, he noted.  The meeting will focus on the stagnation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict resolution and the escalation of tensions.

Noting that April has three religious holidays, falling on consecutive Fridays — Good Friday on 7 April, Orthodox Good Friday on 14 —April and Eid-al-Fitr on 21 April, Mr. Nebenzia spotlighted other upcoming meetings and briefings, including a briefing on 12 April on the work of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) by Special Representative of the Secretary-General for that country, El Ghassim Wane.

There will also be a briefing on 13 April on Colombia by Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia.  Other briefings in April will focus on Yemen, the Great Lakes region, United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).

Further, on 27 April, the Council will hold a combined discussion on both the political and humanitarian files in Syria, featuring briefings by Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths.