Switzerland, which holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in October, has scheduled three meetings to address the Sahara question. The program published on Tuesday includes a meeting on October 10, during which the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, will brief the fifteen members on the latest developments in the region. On October 16, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Western Sahara and head of MINURSO, Russia's Alexander Ivanko, will update Security Council members and countries contributing to the mission's budget about the challenges faced by peacekeepers in fulfilling their duties. Finally, on October 30, the Swiss presidency has planned a meeting to adopt a new resolution extending MINURSO's mandate for another year. The draft resolution has been assigned to the United States.
