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Security Council to focus on Afghanistan, genocide and conflict: November president

Security Council to focus on Afghanistan, genocide and conflict: November president

Jorge Voto-Bernales, Security Council President
The Security Council will send a high-level mission to Afghanistan this month to assess the situation first-hand, while consultations on preventing conflict and genocide will also be high on the list of priorities, the body’s president for November said today.

Jorge Voto-Bernales, Ambassador of Peru, told journalists as he outlined the Council work programme for this month that the mission will leave New York next week and travel first to Pakistan. It will return to UN Headquarters on 17 November.

“The work programme for the month has been adopted… the Security Council will be sending a special mission to Afghanistan to consider the situation on the ground. The participants are nine of the members of the Security Council,” he said. “The special mission to Afghanistan will be leaving New York on the 10th, it will go to Islamabad and on the 12 November it will arrive in Afghanistan.”

“On 14 November we will hold consultations on a report… on the prevention of armed conflict and genocide… On 20 November, the report on children and armed conflict will be available [and] there will be an open debate on children and armed conflict on Tuesday, 28 November.”

Mr. Voto-Bernales also said that the Council would hold its usual debate on the Secretary-General’s report on the situation in the Middle East, and there would also be a briefing on nuclear non-proliferation, as well as other issues.

Today Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno briefed the 15-member body on the latest situation in the DRC and Mr. Voto-Bernales told reporters that Council Members had congratulated the Congolese for last month’s essentially peaceful presidential run-off.