Burundi assumes the role of the monthly chairpersonship of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the month of January. The provisional program of work includes some five substantive sessions, including four country and region specific sessions and a high level seminar on peace and security in Africa. The committee of experts is also expected to meet regularly to consider the draft report on the Activities of the PSC and the State of Peace and Security in Africa and the draft report on the Implementation of the AU Master Roadmap on Silencing the Guns in Africa by the Year 2020.

The PSC will hold the first session of 2020 on 9 January to consider and adopt the draft provisional programme of work of the PSC for February 2020 and to continue its preparation for the annual High Level Seminar on Peace and Security in Africa taking place in Gabon, during the same month.

The following day, on 10 January the PSC will receive a briefing on the security situation in the Great Lakes Region. This is an agenda included in the program on the initiative of the Chairperson of the Month. On the same day the committee of experts will hold a preparatory session to consider the draft report on the Activities of the PSC and the State of Peace and Security in Africa and the draft report on the Implementation of the AU Master Roadmap on Silencing the Guns in Africa by the Year 2020.

From 13‐15 January the PSC will hold its annual High Level Seminar on Peace and Security in Africa with the A3 (African members in the UNSC) in Libreville, Gabon. In the light of the difficulties faced in coordination between the PSC and the A3 and the differences that emerged on the draft resolution on the financing of peace and security in Africa from UN assessed contributions, this seminar presents an opportunity for reviewing current approaches to coordination and share perspectives for achieving shared position on how to proceed with respect to the draft resolution.

On 17 January, the Committee of Experts will resume its preparatory work on the two draft reports that will be presented to the Assembly in February 2020. The Committee will also consider the draft indicative annual programme of activities of the PSC for the year 2020.

On 20 January, the PSC is scheduled to consider two agenda items. The first is the situation in South Sudan. The last time the PSC received a briefing on South Sudan was in November 2019 during the extension of the pre‐ transitional period to 100 days. This session presents the PSC an opportunity to assess what progress, if any, the parties made to finalize the pre‐transitional period tasks and consider next steps.

The second agenda item is the briefing on the situation in Guinea Bissau. The PSC received a briefing on the situation few days prior to the 24 November presidential election in the country. The country went for a run‐off election on 29 December, whose outcome is under contestation.

The committee of experts, which considers the draft reports to be submitted to the Assembly, is expected to finalize its consideration of the two reports during its meeting on 23 January.
On 28 January, the PSC is scheduled to consider the two reports and the draft indicative annual program of activities for 2020 for review and adoption.

On 30 January the PSC will have the last session of the month on the situation in Sudan. The PSC did not convene a session on Sudan since the lifting of the suspension. For the session planned for January, the PSC may invite international partners to deliberate on the process of supporting the country’s transition.

After the PSC adopted the January provisional program of work of the PSC last month, provision has been made for including an item on an interaction with the ICRC.

In addition to these agenda items the provisional program of work indicates in in footnotes possible meetings of the Military Staff Committee for which the dates are yet to be set.