Pakistan Mission to United Nations

Statement by Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations on General Assembly Agenda Item-30: Report of the Security Council (12 November 2015)

Mr. President,

Thank you for convening today’s meeting. We welcome this opportunity to express our views on the report of the Security Council. This yearly debate is useful in reviewing not just the work of the Security Council but also the manner in which the Council operates.

We also thank Ambassador Mathew Rycroft of the United Kingdom, for presenting the report, in his capacity as the President of the Security Council for this month.

Mr. President,

The Security Council is the premier institution charged with responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. This does not denude the General Assembly from its role in this regard. The Council acts on behalf of the wider UN membership and is therefore accountable to it.

Only with a substantive yearly report by the Council and a two-way communication between the Council and the General Assembly can this debate on the report of the Security Council become meaningful.

Mr. President,

Let me outline our main observations and impressions about the report.

We believe that the Security Council conducted its business reasonably efficiently, as reflected by the number of meetings it held as well as the substantive number of outcomes that it was able to agree on

We appreciate the Council’s ability to make progress with consensus on counterterrorism issues. Important work was done in this regard during the last reporting period.

There has been a gradual yet perceptible increase in the number of public meetings. We hope that this culture of transparency will continue to grow. We are also pleased to note the continuation of wrap-up sessions by monthly presidencies of the Council – a practice that Pakistan revived during its Presidency of the Council in January 2013. Seven such meetings were organized during the reporting period.

On the other hand, the report of the Council continues to be a compilation of documents and information and lacks substance. More than one fourth of the report comprises compendia of meetings.

While we understand the possible difficulties in preparing a substantive report, greater effort is required in this regard. This will enable all delegations to offer substantive comments and make the debate on today’s agenda item more useful.

Mr. President,

Despite these limitations, Pakistan will share some observations on the work of the Security Council:

• Continuation of the robust work of the Council in Peacekeeping is welcome; as a leading Troop Contributing Country, Pakistan takes pride in being a part of this important endeavor of the Council. To make UN Peacekeeping more effective, we believe that closer interaction and consultations between the Council and TCCs is warranted. This continues to be a persistent shortcoming in the Council’s work;
• We remain concerned at the Council’s tendency to use Chapter VII measures, in particular without fully utilizing Chapter VI and VIII;
• The Council’s inability to act effectively and decisively or even pronounce itself clearly on the situation in Palestine is inexplicable and frankly inexcusable. This inability imperils peace and security and contributes to aggression and violence. Importantly, it reinforces the perceptions of selectivity. An impression of double standards in its approach will undermine the effectiveness of the Council. The Council must not only stake claims to be fair, unbiased and effective; it must be perceived by others to be so;
• Also, the Council would only have enhanced its credibility if it was able to respond to the raging violence and spreading chaos and disorder elsewhere in the Middle East.
• The Council and the General Assembly should work as partners in the maintenance of international peace and security. The General Assembly can discuss vexed issues that would not yield a solution in the Council;
• The number of annual meetings of the Council clearly indicates the burden it bears on a day-to-day basis. It should not be further burdened by functions that other UN bodies are mandated to perform. This not only undermines the effectiveness of relevant UN bodies; it prevents the Security Council from devoting more focus and time to the issues that directly fall in its scope.

Mr. President,

The Council needs to be more responsive to the membership’s call for improvements in its working methods. We acknowledge some progress in the Council’s interaction with the wider membership, sharing pen-holderships with non-permanent members and adoption of a Pakistan-initiated proposal of intra-Council dialogue. However, most Member States agree that progress in these areas is slow, much too slow.

The Council’s working methods need to be in sync with the values promoted by the United Nations – transparency, inclusivity and participation. Last year, during the debate on this agenda item, Pakistan made certain recommendations in this regard. We had also proposed that a synopsis of views of all Member States should be circulated as an official document. We were pleased to see action taken by the President of the 69th GA in this regard.

Those views and suggestions can still be helpful in improving the working methods of the Council. Also a joint committee of the Security Council and the General Assembly could be formed to examine implementation of those recommendations.

In conclusion, let me say that Pakistan is also open to other initiatives that could promote the values I just outlined. Towards that end, we assure you of our cooperation and support.

I thank you, Mr. President.