Highlights of the December 2024 U.S. Presidency of the United Nations Security Council
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield used her final Security Council presidency to highlight artificial intelligence, food insecurity, and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda
In her fourth and final UN Security Council presidency, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, raised key U.S. priorities and initiatives including artificial intelligence, combatting food insecurity, and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
On December 3, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield presided over the first of two signature events in the Council, focusing on Women, Peace and Security and the power of intergenerational dialogue between young and senior women peacebuilders. The Ambassador challenged the international community to do more to complement the efforts of women peacebuilders by addressing the needs of women impacted by conflict, increasing opportunities for dialogue, and fully implementing the WPS agenda.
On December 9, the Ambassador hosted key leaders from UN agencies and NGOs working to combat food insecurity together for a side event on concrete steps to take to reach Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger. The Ambassador told guests that “significant and urgent action is needed more than ever before as hundreds of millions of people face food insecurity – and many, even famine,” before giving the floor to a distinguished group of experts including UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell and IRC CEO David Miliband.
On December 19, Secretary of State Antony Blinken chaired the second signature event, a Ministerial-level briefing on the impact of artificial intelligence on international peace and security. The Secretary highlighted U.S. leadership earlier this year in passing a landmark General Assembly resolution to govern AI with a focus on human rights, sustainable development, and capacity building.
The Secretary also chaired a Security Council briefing on Sudan, which he called “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.” Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield has made a concerted effort to draw the Council’s attention to the situation in Sudan, one of several regional conflicts she highlighted this month.
The Ambassador has presided over Council briefings on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and multiple conflicts in the Middle East, as well as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, and Libya.
Transcripts and press releases are available on the landing page for the United States Presidency of the UN Security Council:
