Zénon Mukongo Ngay (Democratic Republic of the Congo/ Security Council President) on the programme of work of the Security Council in July - Press Conference

Good afternoon, members of the press, ladies and gentlemen.
It's my pleasure to welcome you today to today's press briefing marking the beginning of Democratic Republic of the Congo presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of July 2026.
Throughout the month, the permanent mission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will remain available to engage with the media and provide information on the work of the Sit Council under our presidency.
It is now my distinct honor to invite His Excellency, Mr.
Zenon Mukangonai, ambassador and permanent representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations and president of the United Nations Security Council for the month of July 2026 to present the Council's program of work and deliver his opening remarks.
Your Excellency, you have the floor.
Thank you very much.
I would like to apologize for the delay which was caused by the fact that we drafted our presentation in English.
And as far as multilingualism is concerned, and being a French speaking country, we have to switch in French, and it's good for all people, including the Congolese people to understand what we are doing here.
Hello Bonjour.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, members of the press.
It's a privilege to be able to address you today in my capacity as president of the United Nations Security Council for the month of July 2026.
It's my pleasure to present you with the Security Council's program of work for this month.
Before setting out the major points allow me to make some brief remarks in my representative as the permanent representative.
The Demot P of the Congo is profoundly honored to take up the presidency of the Security Council during our current mandate as elected member.
This is a particularly important presidency for my country, marking our return to the Council after almost three decades after the end of our last mandate in 1992.
We take up this responsibility with a profound sense of duty and humility, fully aware of the expectations on the council at a time at which international peace and security are facing multiple and complex challenges.
Since its entry into the Council, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has strived to contribute constructively to the council's work by promoting dialogue, encouraging consensus, and promoting a principles based commitment to uphold the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter throughout our presidency.
We will lead the council's work with impartiality, transparency, effectiveness, and inclusivity, while also promoting cooperation among council members and ensuring that the council remains reactive to urgent challenges that it has to address.
Our aim is to facilitate the substantive discussions of the council and ensure concrete outcomes contributing to maintaining international peace and security in line with the United Nations Charter.
Allow me now to present the program of work for this month.
That the council adopted this morning.
I will present it week by week this week, following on from the adoption this morning, There isn't much to mention, but I'm sure that there will be a meeting announced for the 2nd of July and that will be published in the program, but this was not included in the program of work as it was presented this morning.
Now, the following week, on the seventh, the council will receive a briefing from the International Criminal Court on the situation in Sudan.
On the 8th of July, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be organizing a high level open debate entitled Women and peace and security, addressing the topic honoring the promise of international law to survivors of conflict related sexual violence.
This meeting will be chaired by the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Her Excellency Mis Judith minoa On the third week, that is from the 13th to the 17th of July.
On the 13th of July, the Democratic Republic of Congo in its national capacity will be convening a high level area formula meeting on the topic assessment of the normative vacuum regarding natural resources and piece, the foundations and outlooks.
We will look at the gaps in the current international legislation relating to natural resources and peace, and we will explore practical responses to ensure a more consistent effective response.
A concept note has already been disseminated for this.
On the 14th of July, we have set aside some time for the potential adoption of a resolution on a on resolution 27 22 on the Red Sea.
That will be followed by a briefing and consultations on US.
On the 15th of July, the Council will hear a briefing and will have consultations on Colombia.
On the 16th of July, the council will hold consultations on Lebanon under resolution 1701, and the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus and for SIP.
Looking now at the fourth week from the 20th to the 24th of July, on the 20th of July, the council will hear a briefing and we'll have consultations on Haiti.
On the 21st, the council will hear a briefing and we'll have consultations on Syria addressing political and humanitarian developments.
On the 22nd of July, we will have our signature event, that is a high level open debate relating to natural resource governance, the foundation of peace, security, and prosperity in maintenance of international peace and security.
This meeting will be presided by His Excellency, Mr.
Felix Sisi, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The DRC believes that the continued exploitation of natural resources as a driver of conflicts makes this discussion both timely and necessary.
We hope that this debate will encourage member states to identify practical ways through which responsible and transparent governance of natural resources can contribute to sustainable peace, security, and development.
We warmly encourage all delegations to participate at the highest possible level.
On the 23rd of July, we will have an open debate on the maintenance of international peace and security focused on the peaceful settlement of disputes pursuant to resolution 27 88.
This is a mandated open debate.
Now for the fifth week, that is from the 27th to the 31st of July, on the 28th, there will be an open debate on the Middle East.
On the 29th, we have set aside some time for the potential adoption of resolution 27 45 on sanctions and that would be followed by consultations on the UNRCCA that is the Central Asia Preventive Diplomacy Center on the On the 30th, we will have a meeting at 3:00 P.M.
Monthly meeting.
In addition to the meetings set out in the program of work as it was presented this morning, The Security Council remains ready to respond to any developments that might arise throughout the month.
If circumstances so require, the presidency will convene meetings in line with the council's established procedures and in close cooperation with its members.
As you know, the Secretary-General selection process is also a part of our responsibilities as president of the Security Council for the month of July and could also have an impact on our program of work.
As ever, we count on the spirit of cooperation and the constructive contribution of all member states so as to allow the council to swiftly and effectively respond to emerging situations affecting international peace and security.
I would also like to express our sincere thanks to the United Nations Secretariat and in particular to the Security Council Affairs Division for its professionalism, its dedication, and precious support as we prepare for our presidency.
We welcome the opportunity to continue this close cooperation throughout the month.
For the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Providing the Security Council is both a profound honor and a lofty responsibility.
We are determined to lead the council's work with impartiality, transparency, and respect for the United Nations Charter, while also promoting dialogue, cooperation, and concrete outcomes for international peace and security.
We also welcome the opportunity to work closely with all United Nations members, with regional bodies and other relevant stakeholders as we lead the work of the council this month.
I thank you I would now and I'm now at your disposal for any questions.
Thank you.
Mercy, Excellence.
Thank you, Excellency.
You can just introduce yourself and then ask your question.
The floor is open.
Thank you, Ambassador, on behalf of Anka, I'd like to welcome you and thank you for this press conference.
I'm Linda Vasuo with NPR at the UN.
And my question has to do with Lebanon and if you think that UNIFIL will be addressed at all during this period.
Thank you.
So we can text like two or three more questions and then you'll respond.
Yeah.
Go ahead.
Thank you.
On the Secretary-General selection process, could you tell us a bit more about how the first meeting is going to take place, which I think is for the last week of July.
And can you confirm that Bahrain asked for an emergency meeting on Iran and that's the meeting you were talking about potentially tomorrow? Thank you.
This is Nam Abdullah Rd Media Network.
One question on the meeting about Syria.
What made you include Syria in your sessions and will the minority rights be the focus of that meeting? Thank you.
I'm Dam from Past Blue, could you speak a little bit more on your signature event, the open debate? I mean, we understand that one of the financial motivation, the conflicts in DRC has to do with the mining of natural resources in the country.
Would you say this is one of the reasons for choosing this subject to talk about, if you could talk more just on the importance of this open debate for you and why you have chosen it? Thank you.
All right.
So we can already answer the questions.
Let me start by the signature then since it was the last one that was put.
Let me say here, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is of the view because of our priorities.
Then one of the root causes of the conflicts in the world lie in poor management of natural resources.
The principle here is as follows the natural resources should normally benefit those states and peoples where these resources are found.
But in practice, most of the natural resources benefit the armed groups.
Which exploit these natural resources illicitly.
The principle here would be to use natural resources to use them for the development of those countries who own them, but in practice, it's exactly the opposite.
It's the armed groups who exploit them and in most cases This leads to a blood bath and we want to underscore the fact that the management of natural resources has to be done for the benefit of and positively contribute towards the sustainable development of those countries where they are located.
This is a logic behind our signature event.
As you noticed, I also talked about an AA formula meeting on the 13th and during that meeting, what we are going to have there is the development of the idea based on the fact that when we are talking about the natural resource governance and management, and when we look at the international legal toolkit, we realize that there is no legal basis, there are no international texts which legislate natural resource governance, and that is why we in the DRC, we think that the basis needs to be created.
For what we could call it in English legal framework for this, to make sure that on the basis of these principles, international legal principles that states then abide by and have a standard of conduct when it comes to natural resource governance.
Again, to make sure that the resources do not benefit the armed groups, but rather help states with their development.
This is a discussion we are planning on the 13th within the AO formula format.
In other words, we are going to be talking to states who will participate and explore the ways and means of arriving at a Security Council resolution on the exploitation of natural resources.
So far, we haven't had that.
The attempts to codify or regulate this issue.
If you take a look at that, you can see that these are disparate attempts.
This has been talked about in various separate resolutions, but there's no Security Council resolution specifically on natural resource governance.
We want to create a foundation for such a resolution eventually.
That's why we put forward, first of all, the informal AA formula meeting and then our signature event, which will be also on this issue.
Now, The first question was on Lebanon and UNIFIL.
The resolution 1701 was invoked.
I think we're going to have a briefing on that on which let me take a look at my calendar here.
So we are going to have a meeting on UNIFIL resolution 1701 on the 16th.
So we will be discussing that.
This is planned in the program of work.
Now the next question, selecting a Secretary-General.
It is true that we had hearings with the candidates.
Colombia had already had hearings with two out of six and it would seem that we will have to have all of the forum meeting.
We will have working meetings on that with members of Security Council and I cannot tell you more than that at this stage.
In addition to that, there will be the first straw poll under our presidency.
That's what I can tell you about that at this stage.
Bahrain did indeed ask for an emergency meeting.
The procedure is underway and I think we're going to have the meeting in the morning.
This has been asked for.
The request has been accepted.
In your session focus on that focus on political and humanitarian the Now, the issue of Syria.
It's on the humanitarian situation and it's a statutory meeting.
Most of the issues we have on the Security Council agenda statutory mandated issues outside of the three, which are the personal initiatives of the DRC.
Including the high level on sexual violence on the eighth, which will be shared by our Prime Minister, as I mentioned earlier.
The second one, we will have an informal AA meeting on the 13th on the GP.
In the regulation of the natural resource exploitation.
This will be chaired by our Minister of Foreign Affairs and then you have the signature event.
That is the meeting on the 22nd natural resource governance.
A in depth debate that we're going to have and will be chaired by the Head of State, the president of the Republic.
So these are the events that come in under our own initiative.
I think I have finished with the set of questions.
We can have another one.
We have five new ones.
Please introduce yourself.
Absolutely.
Thank you so much, Ambassador, for the briefing.
This is Ama Lee with Egyptian Media Outlets Sphinx News TV.
I would like to first congratulate you thus far for your country's amazing performance against England and It's not yet done.
Not yet.
Not yet.
But it's looking good.
Yeah.
I know.
I know.
Let's finish quickly.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I would like to ask you a question somewhat similar to what I asked the spokesperson for the Secretary-General earlier today.
The latest framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel lays out a sequenced process plan for the withdrawal of Israel from Southern Lebanon contingent on the disarmament of Hezbollah know that this kind of diplomatic process has been an impetus for great peril in Gaza despite a supposed cease fire agreement there.
In your national capacity, what does the DRC make of these developments? In your presidential capacity, would you allow for a Security Council resolution that endorses this plan as a long term and sustainable agreement between Israel and Lebanon? Thank you.
Good luck.
Second question.
Africa confidential.
You mentioned that natural resources to a large extent are the source of drivers of conflict.
You in terms of natural resources are perhaps the richest country in Africa, but you didn't mention that these only benefit armed groups, they also benefit the states themselves.
Just look at the United States, which is now enormously interested in your country among others.
We'll now take the third question.
I'm Dulce Weinbck from Past Blue.
I just wanted to clarify these two meetings on the natural resources.
One is going to be an area formula where you will discuss a potential legal framework to manage these resources.
Then you'll follow up with an actual Security Council formal meeting on the same issue.
I'm just wondering why you're having two meetings on one topic.
And the Secretary-General candidate hearings or dialogues, you're going to have them held off site in your mission, just like Columbia did yesterday.
The straw polls that began the last week in July, are they going to be color coded straw polls or not just white how will that process begin? Thanks very much.
Fourth question, please.
Thank you so much.
Fraud later from Fox News Digital, you spoke about the meaning of natural resources as a top priority.
I wanted to ask you about the big report that the US backed virtuous mineral acquisition in the DRC.
It's been described by the State Department as a flagship US investment.
I would like to ask you how your government see this investment.
Is this part of a larger strategic shift? Fifth and last question for the second set of questions.
Thank you very much.
The first question related to the peace process between Israel and Lebanon.
You were asking what we think of this proposed peace plan as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country which has its own experience of war.
In such a context, we cannot but support such a plan.
For us, the principles set out in the United Nations Charter as conceived in San Francisco at the time, must be respected.
Now we see a lot of slippages, if you like, in terms of how peace and security are managed at the international level.
It's because the UN charter is not being respected.
For us, any principle that upholds the peaceful settlement of disputes is something that we must support because in the end, people fight, war carries on, and as you can see that all over the place.
But it's endless.
We can't continue war at aterum.
People can't spend their entire lives killing each other.
We can sit down and talk.
We're human beings.
We're not animals, we can sit down to talk.
Any peace initiative, any announced peace initiative should be considered as something valuable that we should support.
That's what I think as the DRC.
For us, the respect of the UN's charter principles is key.
We cannot but support it.
Now, natural resources, two meetings.
Why two meetings on natural resources? Well, simply.
Firstly, we want to inject some momentum into finding solutions because we do see a serious gap between the exploitation of natural resources and respect for the international principles and law.
I would say legally speaking, international law is mute on this.
On how to manage natural resources natural resources.
Now the main principle here is state sovereignty.
But when armed groups used by some states, just to answer your question, which are behind some states they try to use these natural resources to fuel war.
In that context, we should be trying to uphold principles or ensure that we have principles to govern the management of these natural resources.
That's why we thought that it would be important to reflect because we're talking here in the Security Council.
We're not talking about a law or an international treaty for now.
The Security Council acts through resolutions.
Which do have an impact on us all and which are binding on everyone.
That is why we wanted to very clearly mark our passage through the Security Council by laying the foundations for what might eventually become a Security Council resolution on the exploitation of natural resources because that doesn't exist at the moment.
But secondly, Seen through another angle, we want to look at this issue of natural resources in depth so as to encourage debate on this issue because natural resources should, I think, be effectively contributing to states economic development and we want to highlight that.
That is why we will be focusing on our signature event and using that as an opportunity to highlight the exploitation of natural resources.
Now, on the SG selection process, obviously, yes, completely off site.
You want to know whether it would be the permanent mission of the DRC.
Perhaps yes, perhaps not.
This is an eternal issue within the Security Council, perhaps it will be, perhaps not.
But Colombia, I think, did it in their mission.
Perhaps that means that we also do it at the DRCs mission.
That's all I can say.
Now, I didn't fully understand the question on the straw polls, but the straw poll will happen during our Security Council presidency.
I don't know whether you were asking whether there had been a different straw poll.
I'm not sure.
But I can tell you that the straw poll will happen during our presidency.
Now, Fox talked about US investments in the agreement signed between the DRC and the United States, is that right? Yes.
Obviously, we think that's a great investment.
We're still dealing with the paperwork, but this is an agreement that will be implemented and we look forward to seeing its full implementation on the ground.
The Congolese populations have faith in that and we look forward to seeing how it's rolled out on the ground.
I think that's all in terms of questions.
If there are no further questions, I think that might now be the right time for us to see whether the match is still going, if we still have some hope.
We have a great international team after 52 years of absence.
So I would like to ask you if you don't mind, we would like to leave now so we can go and watch the end of the match.
Thank you very much.