Lesotho assumes the role of the monthly chairpersonship of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the month of May. The provisional program of work, involves some seven substantive sessions including five on COVID19 related agenda items.

On 6 May the PSC is expected to receive a virtual briefing by Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) on the spread, control and implications of COVID-19 in Africa. This is the third VCT briefing on COVID-19 since the PSC adopted its new working methods. On 7 May, the PSC will hold a briefing on the situation in Somalia and consider the renewal of the mandate of the AMISOM, which expires on 27 May. The briefing will be circulated to all PSC Members through email and PSC Member States will send their inputs to the PSC Secretariat for the draft communiqué. The draft communiqué will then be circulated through silence procedure for its adoption in line with the Manual on PSC Working Methods.

On 12 May, the PSC will hold a session on the impact of COVID-19 on the security and welfare of children in Africa. This is in lieu of the annual thematic agenda on children affected by armed conflict, which normally takes place in an open session. For the purpose of this meeting however the PSC is expected to receive a virtual briefing from various presenters without an open session.

The next session is slated for 14 May when the PSC will consider and adopt its provisional programme of work for the month of June 2020. The Draft Provisional Programme of Work will be circulated to all PSC Member States, through emails, for their comments. This will also be held via email communications.

The PSC will receive a follow up briefing on the progress in controlling COVID-19 and its impact in Africa on 20 May. This meeting is expected to take place virtually and PSC Members will connect online.

The fifth substantive session of the month is scheduled for 22 May. This will be a briefing on the impact of COVID-19 on Living together in Peace. The first time the PSC considered Living together in Peace was in November 2019. At that time the format of the meeting was an open session. However, the briefing to this meeting will be circulated to all PSC Members through emails and PSC Member States will send their elements to the PSC Secretariat for the draft communiqué. The draft communiqué will then be circulated through silence procedure.

The third update of the month on the impact of COVID19 will take place on 27 May, but will focus on the impact on peace and security in Africa and is a follow up to the 918 session of the PSC. The PSC is expected to receive a virtual briefing. On 29 May, the PSC will hold its second country specific meeting of the month focusing on the situation in Darfur and the activities of UNAMID. The last time the PSC
considered this agenda item was in March 2020.

The last agenda item of the month is the briefing to the Permanent Representative Committee (PRC) on activities of the PSC during the month of May 2020. The compilation of activities of the PSC for May 2020, with a summary, will be sent to all AU member states.