At the start of every month, the Global Observatory posts a list of key upcoming meetings and events that have implications for global affairs.

Peace & Security

• June 2: Cyprus leaders meet for UN-brokered peace talks, Nicosia, Cyprus
  Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades will meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu to push ahead with UN-brokered peace talks. The leaders of the two communities first restarted the UN-facilitated talks on finding a settlement on February 11 this year. This new round follows five major rounds of talks over the last four decades.
• June 2-3: 2014 ECOSOC Forum on Youth, New York
  The UN Economic and Social Council hosts its Forum on Youth entitled “#Youth2015: Realizing the Future They Want.” The forum will bring together youth representatives from around the world with the aim of including their perspectives in discussing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It sets the stage for the ECOSOC high-level forum on the post-2015-MDGs that will take place in July 2014.
• June 3-5: OAS General Assembly Session, Asunción, Paraguay
  The Organization of American States (OAS) holds its annual General Assembly session in the Paraguayan capital, which this year will focus on “development with social inclusion.” The multilateral body is seeking to maintain its relevance amid deep ideological divisions in the Americas and the advance of alternative regional bodies that reflect a growing autonomy vis-à-vis the United States.
• June 4-5: G7 Summit, Brussels
  The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council meet in the Belgian capital for the first G7 Summit to be hosted by the European Union. The G7 will discuss, among other issues, the Ukraine crisis, relations with Russia, the global economy, trade, energy security, climate change, and development.
• June 6: 70th Anniversary of D-Day landing, Normandy
  On June 6, world leaders gather in France to commemorate 70 years since the landing of Allied forces in Normandy during World War II. The ceremony, hosted by French President François Hollande, will also be attended by world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This will also be the first time that President Putin will meet with Western leaders since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis.
• June 8: Israeli and Palestinian Presidents meet with Pope Francis, Vatican City
  Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meet with Pope Francis in Rome following the pontiff’s invitation last month during his visit to the Holy Land. (Date had originally been set for June 6). 
• June 10-13: 2014 Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, London
  The United Kingdom hosts this high-profile global summit, co-chaired by the British foreign secretary and Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Angelina Jolie. The three-day affair aims to be an important venue for finding solutions to violence aimed at both women and children during war.
• June 16-20: P5+1 Iran Nuclear Talks Resume, Vienna
  Another round of talks between Iran and six world powers (P5+1) takes place in the Austrian capital beginning June 16. Little progress was made at a previous round in Vienna held last month, but the looming July 20th deadline for a comprehensive agreement remains in place.
• June 14-15: G77+China Summit, Bolivia
  The UN Group of 77—the intergovernmental organization of developing countries in the United Nations—meets in Bolivia to commemorate its 50th anniversary. The group’s membership has swelled to 133 countries since its founding in 1964. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to attend the summit.
• June 23: First Annual Session, UN Peacebuilding Commission, New York
  The UN Peacebuilding Commission holds its first-ever Annual Session, in which it will address the national and international dimensions of peacebuilding.
• June 23-25: Annual ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment, New York
  This year’s ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment lays the foundations for the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit to be held in 2016. It will focus on the effectiveness of humanitarian action and ways to serve the needs of people in conflict.
• June 26: Yemen becomes 160th member of WTO, Geneva
  A month after having deposited its “Instrument of Acceptance” on May 27, Yemen becomes the 160th member of the World Trade Organization. Yemen had initially applied for membership in April 2000, and completed its application process in September 2013.
• June 27: European Union signs trade and political association agreement with Georgia and Moldova
  The EU signs an agreement strengthening economic and political ties with the two countries on June 27. Both Georgia and Moldova fear reprisal from Russia, similar to what has taken place in Ukraine since November 2013, according to the Financial Times.
• June 30-July 3: ECOSOC High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, New York
  On June 30, the second meeting of ECOSOC’s High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development begins in New York. Chaired by ECOSOC President Ambassador Martin Sajdik of Austria, the forum will address best practices in the post-2015 MDGs discussion.

Elections and Votes

• June 3: President, Syria
  On June 3, Syrians are invited go to the polls and vote for their next president in the midst of war. Current President Bashar al-Assad is widely expected to win against his two relatively unknown competitors Maher Abdel Hafiz Hajjar and Hassan Abdullah al-Nouri in Syria’s first multi-candidate election. While the Syrian government appears poised to use the election as a mandate to end the uprising, critics have lambasted the poll as a sham since the participation of the opposition and the possibility for dissent has largely been ruled out.
• June 10: President, Israel
  On June 10, Israelis vote for the president who will replace current president and member of the centrist Kadima party, Shimon Peres. According to news reports, it is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will support a specific candidate. Initial rumors of his possible endorsement of Energies and Water Resources Minister and Likud Party member Silvan Shalom were dispelled when Shalom decided to abandon the race on May 20. Many estimate the next president will most likely be a Knesset member with a strong political base.
• June 14: President, Afghanistan (run-off)
  On June 14, Afghans head to the polls for the second round of the country’s presidential elections. During the first round, held April 5, two of the three running candidates won pluralities but did not garner a majority of the votes. The two candidates are Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign affairs minister, and Ashraf Ghani, a former World Bank official and finance minister.
• June 15: President, Colombia (run-off)
  Following a bitterly contested first round of voting at the end of May, incumbent Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos faces Oscar Ivan Zuluaga in a run-off election. During the first round, Zuluaga, who is backed by former president Alvaro Uribe, gathered 29% of the vote, while current President Santos finished second with close to 26% of the preferences.
• June 25: General National Congress, Libya
  On June 25, elections take place in Libya to replace the contested General National Congress with a new Parliament. The US Department of State has communicated its willingness to help support the elections, although it is not clear whether this will also entail security support, the AFP reports.
• Also of Interest:

  • June 8: Assembly, Kosovo

  • June 21: President, Mauritania