The UN Security Council will focus its November agenda on the peace and security implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies as Latvia assumes the council’s rotating presidency for the first time in its history, the country’s UN envoy announced Monday.

"We believe that the issue of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and their impact on peace and security, is a topic that will stay on the council's agenda," Latvian Permanent Representative to the UN Sanita Pavluta-Deslandes told reporters at UN headquarters, describing technology as an established priority for the 15-member body.

The signature event of the Latvian presidency is scheduled for Nov. 24 as a high-level ministerial open debate titled "Conflict resolution in an era of rapid technological change." Pavluta-Deslandes said discussions will examine how emerging tools affect the protection of civilians, peacekeepers, humanitarian personnel and media workers alongside conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

Pavluta-Deslandes clarified that the Security Council will not attempt to establish global AI regulatory frameworks or general governance systems, noting that wider rulemaking remains the responsibility of the UN General Assembly.

Representatives from the technology sector and AI companies will brief council members, while a newly established Informal Expert Group on emerging threats and technological change, created jointly with Greece and joined by 10 council members, will convene its inaugural session during the month.

The presidency marks Latvia's first term leading the Security Council, coinciding with the nation's November statehood commemorations honoring its 1918 declaration of independence.

Pavluta-Deslandes also confirmed that the council received and circulated an official letter from Türkiye formally submitting its candidate, Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu, for the position of UN secretary-general before both the Security Council and the General Assembly.

"Indeed, there has been an official letter from Türkiye on the nomination, addressed to the president of the security council and the president of the general assembly," she said, adding: "It has been duly circulated, so the candidature is official." The ambassador said that indicative straw polls will proceed during November, underscoring the urgency with just two months remaining before the five-year term begins on Jan. 1. She voiced support for selecting a female secretary-general after eight decades of male leadership while reiterating that all contenders must demonstrate competence.

Addressing regional hotspots, Pavluta-Deslandes warned of anticipated meetings on Russia-Ukraine amid strikes targeting critical energy grids ahead of winter as well as attacks on Black Sea commercial grain transport that threaten international food security.

On the Middle East, the council is scheduled to mark the one-year milestone of Resolution 2803 with the release of the semi-annual Board of Peace report on Nov. 17 culminating in a debate on Palestine on Nov. 30. The presidency also confirmed that it will invite civil society briefers to sessions on Syria, South Sudan and the Middle East under a policy of zero tolerance for reprisals against rights monitors.

The council will also hold mid-November consultations regarding Lebanon and Resolution 1701 to review the secretary-general's report and evaluate the post-UNIFIL transition, aiming to prevent a security vacuum in southern Lebanon ahead of the mission's expiration at year-end.

Additional proceedings include judicial elections for the International Court of Justice on Nov. 3, potential meetings on Yemen, and mandate renewals for peacekeeping missions in Abyei and the Central African Republic.