The U.N. Security Council is set to hold its first closed consultations on the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in the Sahara (MINURSO) on Wednesday, as the Council begins discussions on the mission’s future ahead of the expiry of its current mandate on Oct. 31.
The consultations, scheduled for 7 p.m. as part of the Council’s October programme, will be followed by another closed session on Thursday. The Council is expected to vote later this month on a resolution renewing MINURSO’s mandate.
Alexander Ivanko, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative for the Sahara and head of MINURSO, is expected to brief Council members on developments affecting the mission, its operating environment and the implementation of its mandate.
His briefing is expected to provide an updated assessment of the situation on the ground, including cooperation with the parties, operational constraints facing the mission and the conditions under which it is carrying out its work. MINURSO was established in 1991 and currently monitors and reports on developments in the Sahara and works with the parties to reduce tensions.
On Thursday, Council members are also expected to hear from Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. secretary-general’s personal envoy for the Sahara. His briefing is expected to cover his recent consultations and the prospects for advancing the U.N.-led political process.
The consultations come after the secretary-general submitted his annual report on the Sahara, a key document for the Council’s deliberations on the mission’s mandate.
This year’s renewal is also taking place against the backdrop of a strategic review of MINURSO’s future, requested under Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted on Oct. 31, 2025. The resolution extended the mission’s mandate for one year and requested a review of its future mandate, taking into account the outcome of negotiations between the parties.
Council members received an update on that strategic review during closed consultations on April 23. At the time, the review had not yet been finalized, according to Security Council Report. Options discussed in the context of a possible political agreement included monitoring and reporting on a ceasefire, facilitating the return of refugees, supporting a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process, and supporting the exercise of self-determination.
The timing of the review and its conclusions could therefore feature prominently in this year’s renewal discussions. Council members will have to determine whether to maintain the mission’s existing framework or modify its mandate as the political process develops.
One possibility discussed in Council analysis is a further one-year renewal, giving the political track more time to develop. Another is a shorter extension, potentially allowing the Council to reassess the mission and the negotiations at an earlier stage. Security Council Report has identified both longer and shorter renewal scenarios as possibilities under consideration.
The Council is expected to adopt a decision on MINURSO before its current mandate expires on Oct. 31.
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