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Security Council Open Meetings
The UN Studies Program gives SIPA students the unique opportunity to attend Open Meetings at the Security Council. During the Fall semester of 2010, Prof. Lindenmayer took students to the Security Council to attend the Open Meeting on the question of Haiti; to witness firsthand the passing of resolution 1888 on women and children in armed conflicts; and to follow the debates on the relationship between African regional organizations and the UN during an open meeting on Peace and Security in Africa.
The first Security Council session which students were invited to attend in the academic year 2009/2010 took place in the first week of term, before anyone had yet settled into school. The meeting was presided over by the then President of the Council, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, who opened the floor for her former boss and now Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Bill Clinton; the then Prime Minister of Haiti, Michele Pierre-Louis and the late Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Hedi Annabi, who has lost his life during the earthquake.
On September 30, 2009, Prof. Lindenmayer took students to the 6195th Meeting of the UN Security Council on Women and Peace and Security, which was presided over by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and saw the passing of Resolution 1888. This resolution is a major step for the Security Council in terms of recognizing women’s role in conflict, and enhancing the ability of the international community to end impunity.
On the 26th of October, 2009, SIPA students attended the UN Security Council open meeting on peace and security in Africa which was held under the Presidency of Vietnam. During this meeting, member states emphasized the importance of regional organizations such as the African Union in peacekeeping and considered mechanisms to improve cooperation with the UN, including through increased capacity building and financing.