UN – French Security Council presidency (3 January 2024)

France took up the month-long presidency of the UN Security Council on January 1.

It follows Ecuador and commends the work carried out by the Ecuadorian presidency, which ended on December 31.

The UN Charter gives the Security Council primary responsibility for preserving international peace and security. As a permanent member, France exercises particular responsibility in this area and will continue to do so.

Under the French presidency, the Security Council will continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East, Ukraine, West Africa, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Cyprus, Nagorno-Karabakh, Haiti, Colombia and Central Asia. Major humanitarian crises will also be on its agenda.

France will organize several important meetings in this regard:

• On January 23, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna will chair an open ministerial debate on the situation in the Middle East to which international and regional partners will be invited. This event will help us move toward a political, security and humanitarian resolution of the crisis.

• Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which France condemns, will also be on the agenda. Nearly two years after the start of the Russian aggression, we must mobilize the international community in support of Ukraine and its civilian population.

France welcomes the prospect of working closely with each of its partners and relies on their commitment to ensure that the UN Security Council fully assumes its responsibilities for preserving international peace and security.

On this occasion, France commends the work carried out by Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates as Security Council members during the 2022-2023 term. As we begin the new year, it congratulates Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and South Korea, who are beginning their two-year terms.