Security Council
On 1 January 2018 the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten, took its seat on the UN Security Council for a period of one year. The Netherlands will Chair the Security Council in March 2018.
The Security Council is the UN’s most important body, and the Netherlands holds a non-permanent Council seat for 2018.
Sigrid Kaag, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, will travel to New York a number of times this month to chair Council meetings personally. On 8 March, for example, Ms. Kaag will chair a Security Council meeting about extending the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The Netherlands is in charge of coordinating all matters related to Afghanistan in the Council. On 22 March the minister will chair a meeting about the Lake Chad region in Africa, where a drought is threatening to cause water shortages.
Two of the Netherlands’ chief priorities during its Council term are modernising peace missions and addressing the root causes of conflict, such as climate change.
As president, the Netherlands will not only chair all sessions, but will also be responsible for overseeing the Council’s agenda, in close consultation with the UN and the other members of the Council. The Security Council discusses a wide range of issues, such as peace missions, sanctions, civilian protection and terrorism. Topics currently high on its agenda include North Korea, Syria and Yemen.
Stay up to Date
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs will publish a series of digital magazines to show what The Netherlands is doing within and outside the Security Council, as well as giving behind the scenes access throughout its Security Council membership. Read the first edition by clicking the link below.
