The UN Security Council is set to discuss several key international issues this week, including the ceasefire in Gaza, the situation in the Great Lakes region, Lebanon, Syria, and ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

On Monday, the Council will hold an open briefing on the Great Lakes region presented by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, Huang Xia, followed by closed consultations.

The Council will also hold closed consultations on the Secretary-General’s report on Lebanon, with a briefing by Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

On Tuesday, the Council will receive a mid-month briefing on the situation in Libya by the Special Representative and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, followed by closed consultations.

From Wednesday to Friday, Security Council members will attend the 10th informal joint seminar between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council at the African Union headquarters, as well as the 19th annual joint consultative meeting between the two councils, held on Friday.

This week, the Council will vote on a draft resolution renewing the sanctions regime on Haiti. Members are also closely monitoring developments in Gaza after Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire on October 8, and may consider issuing a statement on the matter.

Members are also expected to begin negotiations on a draft resolution concerning sanctions on ISIS and Al-Qaeda and their implementation in Syria. The United States distributed the first draft of the resolution to all Council members on October 9.

Russia is presiding over the Security Council this October and has proposed two events: an open debate marking the 80th anniversary of the UN titled “The United Nations: Looking to the Future,” to be held under the agenda item “Maintenance of International Peace and Security” on UN Day (October 24), the day the UN Charter came into force.

Russia also plans to elevate the quarterly open debate on “The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question” to the ministerial level. Ramiz Alakbarov, Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator in the UN Special Coordinator’s Office for the Middle East Peace Process, will provide a briefing. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will chair both distinguished events.