PSC Program of Work for January 2019

Automatic Heading TextDate | January 2019

Equatorial Guinea assumes the role of the monthly chairpersonship of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the month of January 2019. Other than the meetings of the Military Staff Committee (MSC) and the Committee of Experts of the PSC, the PSC program of work for the month anticipates some seven substantive sessions. No open session is scheduled. Much of the substantive agenda of the provisional program reflect sessions from the AU Commission.

The PSC program of work starts on 8 January with a meeting of the MSC to finalize its report on the harmonization of the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis (ACIRC) with in the African Stand-by Force (ASF) based on the guidance given from the PSC session of 18 December.

On 9 January, the PSC is scheduled to consider the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of the A3 Draft Resolution on Financing. Following the last minute withdrawal of the A3 resolution from proceeding to voting on 21 December despite it being co-sponsored by about 90 UN member states, the matter was referred to the PSC for its direction. After discussing it as AOB on 24 December, the PSC requested the AU Commission to submit to it a report, outlining the issues encountered in the negotiation of the resolution. It is expected that the PSC will provide guidance on the parameters for negotiations in the UNSC in taking the resolution forward.

As per the conclusion of the 18 December session of the PSC on the subject, on 10 January the PSC is scheduled to consider the Report and Recommendations of the MSC on the Harmonization of ACIRC into the ASF. It is expected that the PSC will adopt the recommendations on the steps to be taken towards harmonization and the accompanying timeline for implementing the various steps.

During the same session on 1o January, the PSC is also expected to consider and adopt the Indicative Annual Programme of Activities of the AU PSC for 2019.

On 14 January, the PSC session is envisaged to have two agenda items. First, the PSC will have a briefing session on the situation in Darfur and on UNAMID. The second agenda item involves the consideration and adoption of the draft program of work of the PSC for the month of February 2019.

On 17 January the Committee of Experts of the PSC are scheduled to start considering the two reports of the PSC that will be submitted to the AU summit expected to take place in early February. These reports are the PSC report on its activities and the state of peace and security in Africa and the progress report on silencing the guns by 2020.

The following day on 18 January, the PSC is scheduled to have a session for ‘Exchange of views between the PSC and the AU High Representative for Silencing the Guns and the High Representative for Financing’.

On 22 January, the PSC session is envisaged to have two agenda items. It is to be recalled that the PSC had a retreat on the study on the implementation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA) held on 29-31 October in Cairo, Egypt. The first item during this session is accordingly to consider the outcome of the Cairo retreat, which is expected to focus on the areas proposed for the reform of the PSC. The second agenda item of the session is for consideration and adoption of the Conclusions of the 6th High Level Seminar, held in Nairobi, Kenya on 12-15 December 2018.
The following day on 23 January, the Committee of Experts of the PSC will meet again to consider the two draft reports that the PSC will submit to the AU Assembly.

On 24 January the PSC will meet for consideration and adoption of the new concept of operations (CONOPs) of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). It is to be recalled that the PSC at its 806th session expressed its expectation to the consideration and adoption of the new revised CONPOPs of AMISOM. This was developed within the framework of the AMISOM Operational Readiness Assessment (ORA) and the process on the reconfiguration of AMISOM including the anticipated reduction of its size by 1000 troops by February 2019.

On 25 January, the AU ad hoc Committee of five member states on South Sudan is scheduled to brief the PSC. As the first such briefing by the Committee, this is reflective of the active role that the Committee has come to take in the South Sudan peace process.

In the last anticipated session on 28 January, the PSC is scheduled to have a session to consider its two reports namely, the report on its activities and the state of peace and security in Africa and the progress report on the AU roadmap on silencing the guns by 2020.