Mozambican Ambassador to the UN, Pedro Comissario Afonso, presented his agenda for the month to the press today, having called two special events for his presidency, including a high-level debate on strengthening the role of African states in addressing global security and development challenges, scheduled for May 23.

The second special event of the Mozambican presidency will take place on May 28 and will be a debate on the role of women and youth in the maintenance of international peace and security.

Mozambique's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Verónica Macamo, is expected to chair the meeting.

"As we said last year, Africa will always be at the top of our priorities," the diplomat stressed, adding that he will seek to make the connection between peace, security and development in his mandate.

Pedro Comissário Afonso announced that he is planning a presidential statement on the role of women and youth in the maintenance of peace and security, but confessed that he is not confident in its adoption, due to the strong divergences that exist within the Council.

This month, the Security Council will also hold its annual debate on the protection of civilians, with the presence of the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, and a representative of civil society.

Overall, the African issues that will be addressed this month will be Libya, Sudan, South Sudan and the Sahel.

Regarding the Middle East, the Security Council has scheduled meetings on Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian issue.

The ambassador admitted the possibility of additional meetings on the Middle East, depending on developments in the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Precisely on the war in Gaza, Pedro Comissário Afonso defended today that the Palestinians "have the right to self-defense", just like "all people in the world", and added that his country supports a two-state solution, in favor of self-determination, independence and sovereignty of the Palestinian people.

The permanent representative of Mozambique reiterated that his country supports an immediate ceasefire and that it will encourage efforts in this direction while it chairs the Council.

With regard to European issues, a semi-annual debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina is scheduled, with room for meetings on Ukraine, if justified.

During Mozambique's presidency, the members of the Council will also receive information on the North Korea Sanctions Committee.

This is the second time that Mozambique has chaired the Security Council in its current two-year term, for which it took office as a non-permanent member in January 2023.

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