Kazakhstan to preside over UN Security Council for first time in history
The UNSC President has overall charge of the Security Council, ensures uninterrupted daily work of the Security Council with the assistance of the UN Secretariat. On behalf of the Council, upon consent of the Security Council members, the President makes statements and speaks to the press following the discussions in informal consultations and whenever the Security Council reaches agreement on the text of a document.
On January 2, the Permanent Representatives of the UN Security Council Member States are expected to discuss the presidency program for January. Also, it is planned to arrange briefings on the program of the Council's work for UN member states that are not members of the Security Council, the press, and NGOs. Upon the initiative of Kazakhstan, for the first time, the Security Council will officially plant the flags of Côte d'Ivoire, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, and Equatorial Guinea in honor of their election as new non-permanent members of the Council for the next two years.
On January 18, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev is to chair the UNSC Members' High-Level Thematic Debate on "Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: confidence-building measures".
On January 19, the UN Security Council will hold a ministerial-level debate on "Building Regional Partnership in Afghanistan and Central Asia as a Model to Link Security and Development". The foreign ministers of the countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan, as well as the ones of the UN Security Council Member States, are expected to participate in it.
On January 25, the Permanent Representatives of the UN Member States will take part in the UN Security Council quarterly open debate themed "The situation in the Middle East, including Palestinian question".
Besides, under the Kazakh presidency in January, the Council will hold open and closed-door discussions on the situation in Syria, Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Darfur, West Africa and the Sahel, South Sudan, Mali, Somalia, Cyprus, and Colombia. It is planned to adopt a number of resolutions and presidential statements.
Kazakhstan's priorities as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2017-2018 were outlined in the Address of President Nursultan Nazarbayev "Kazakhstan's Concept Vision on Sustaining Global Partnership for Secure, Just and Prosperous World". They include building a nuclear-weapons-free world, eliminating the threat of a global war and resolving local conflicts, promoting the interests of Central Asia upon strengthening the regional security and cooperation, ensuring counterterrorism efforts, fostering peace in Africa, ensuring strong connection between security and sustainable development, and adapting the Security Council and the entire United Nations System to the 21st century threats and challenges.
The UN Security Council presidency is a high international status as the UNSC is also charged with making decisions concerning coercive measures, economic sanctions or collective military actions. According to the UN Charter, the Security Council bears the biggest responsibility for the maintenance of peace and international security, and all UN Member States are obliged to accept its decisions.