On October 1, Russia took over the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council. The first session of the UN Security Council (UNSC) under Russia' rotating presidency is due to be held on October 3, when the work program for the month will be agreed upon, Sputnik reported citing RIA Novosti.
According to Russia's Permanent Mission to the UN, about 20 planned meetings will take place during Russia's UNSC presidency.
High on the agenda will be conflicts in Africa, including Sudan's Darfur region, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, the Central African Republic and South Sudan, as well as issues related to the Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.
On October 25, UNSC members will address a report issued by the UN Secretary General: "Women, Peace and Security."
"The main event of Russia's UNSC presidency will be the October 28 debates on the UN's cooperation with a number of regional organizations, such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), according to Russia's UN mission.
On October 5, the Security Council is scheduled to vote on candidates for the post of UN Secretary General. With five rounds of the voting already held, former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres is seen as a favorite.
"The Council will continue, and perhaps complete, the process of elaborating recommendations for the General Assembly on the nomination of the new Secretary General of the United Nations," Russia's UN mission said.
In October, the Security Council will continue to deal with the situation in Syria, which remains tense after the ceasefire agreement expired in this Arab country on September 19.
The presidency in the UN Security Council rotates on a monthly basis among all its 15 member states, depending on the English-language alphabetical order of their names. In September, the UN Security Council was chaired by New Zealand, with Russia due to hand over the UNSC's presidency to Senegal on November 1, Sputnik writes.
