MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil takes over Security Council rotating presidency

From its new role, Brazil will seek to expand spaces for negotiation and dialogue, the Itamaraty Palace said in a statement

Effective Friday, Brazil has taken over the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the whole month of July.

Under Brazil's presidency, the UNSC will examine the security situation in Ukraine, Syria, West Africa and the Sahel region, Colombia, Lebanon, Sudan, the Middle East, Haiti, Yemen, Cyprus, Libya, and Central Asia, in addition to handling resolutions on the UN missions in Haiti, Yemen, Cyprus and Libya, and on sanctions regimes in place for Libya and the Central African Republic.

Among the actions to be taken by Brazil in July are two debates. The first, on July 12, will focus on the importance of strategic communication in peacekeeping operations, and the second, on July 19, on children and armed conflicts, a debate to be chaired by Brazilian Ambassador Fernando Simas Magalhães.

“During Brazil's mandate in the UNSC, and especially during its presidency in July, Brazil will seek to expand spaces for negotiation and dialogue, promote a constructive agenda and invest in initiatives that contribute in a concrete way to the maintenance of international peace and security, in accordance with the relevant constitutional precepts,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement quoted by Agencia Brasil.

Before passing the baton onto Brazil, the UNSC Thursday renewed sanctions imposed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) consisting of an arms embargo, a travel ban, and the freezing of assets freezes until July 1, 2023. China, Russia, Ghana, Gabon, and Kenya voted in abstention.

“Regretfully, 18 years after its initial implementation, armed groups in the eastern DRC remain rampant, while the DRC government's security capacity has been constrained. The DRC government has repeatedly requested the council to lift the arms embargo on the country,” China's permanent representative Zhang Jun argued.

The security situation in the DRC has deteriorated, with many civilian casualties and displacements caused by the resurgence of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels. “But the DRC security forces, affected by the arms embargo and other factors, do not have adequate security capacity in the face of the threat posed by armed groups such as M23,” Zhang added. The M23 is far better equipped and armed than the DRC security forces. “It is a worrisome situation, and this issue needs to be addressed,” Zhang said.