The Week Ahead at the United Nations

16-23 June 2019

Monday 17 June

• World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
• The Security Council will focus on Yemen, then on UNDOF.
• UN officials will brief reporters at UNHQ on the World Population Prospects 2019; materials will be available later in the day.
• Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees will brief reporters at the UN in Geneva on UNHCR’s annual Global Trends Report on Forced Displacement.

Tuesday 18 June

• Sustainable Gastronomy Day
• The Security Council will be briefed on UN Peacekeeping operations.
• An informal briefing about the UN strategy and plan of action on hate speech will be at UNHQ.

Wednesday 19 June

• International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
• The Senate Foreign Relations Committee conducts a hearing on President Trump’s nomination of Kelly Craft to be the United States’ ambassador to the United Nations.
• The Security Council is briefed on the International Criminal Court’s work on Sudan, then debates the UNAMA.
• The current president of the UN Human Rights Council will brief about its 41^st regular session (24 June-12 July 2019). 

Thursday 20 June

• World Refugee Day
• The Security Council is briefed and holds consultations on the Middle East, then on the MINUSCA.

Friday 21 June

• International Day of Yoga
• SRSG for Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto visits Washington.
• UNRWA’s Commissioner General, Pierre Krähenbühl, briefs reporters about its work at UNHQ.
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In case you missed it last week:

Senior officials, led by Secretary-General António Guterres, planted a tree on the North Lawn of UNHQ to honor the legacy of Anne Frank. The sapling is a descendent of the tree that stood outside the Frank family’s hiding place during World War II.

The Security Council adopt a resolution on Libya and was briefed and held consultations on UNMIK; MINUSMA and Mali; UNAMID; Syria; Burundi; the protection of civilians in armed conflict: missing persons in armed conflict; the maintenance of international peace and security: conflict prevention and mediation; cooperation between the UN and the League of Arab States. It also met with countries that contribute troops to MINUSMA, UNDOF and UNAMID and Darfur, and engaged in a televised conversation with Melinda Gates and Jack Ma about the High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation. And it issued a statement of full support of UN Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffith. Kuwait is the President of the Security Council in June; other members are listed here. Also of note:

• The 12th Session of the Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities met 11-13 June. The UN Committee of Experts on Business and Trade Statistics, organized by DESA, also met 11-13 June. Guterres: New disability inclusion strategy is transformative change we need
• WHO discussed the prevalence of mental disorders in conflict settings, which were published in The Lancet: One in five suffers mental health condition in conflict zones
• UNCTAD launched its World Investment Report 2019: Special Economic Zones.

Top headlines:

·       South Sudanese facing famine in all but name, warns UN food agency

·       UNICEF: Maternal and newborn health ‘on the brink of total collapse’ in Yemen

·       Understanding of LGBT realities ‘non-existent’ in most countries, says UN expert

·       Amid Venezuela exodus, UN refugee envoy Angelina Jolie visits camps on Colombian border, appeals for humanity, more support

Noteworthy commemorations:

• International Day of Family Remittances – 16 June
• World Elder Abuse Day –15 June
• World Blood Donor Day – 14 June
• International Albinism Awareness Day – 13 June
• World Day Against Child Labour – 12 June
• World Oceans Day – 8 June

For more information: 

• For a complete schedule: http://bit.ly/2iQpxx7.
• To find out which events will be webcast see: http://unwebtv.live/schedule.
• UN News Centre: https://news.un.org/en/
• UN Secretary-General: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/secretary-generals-speeches
• UN Security Council: https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/

UN Spokesperson: http://www.un.org/sg/en/spokesperson