Open Debate of the Security Council

Statement by Ambassador Farukh Amil, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan, in the Open Debate of the Security Council on Working Methods (Note S/2006/507) 27 August 2008

Mr. President,

  1. I would like to felicitate you and the Belgian delegation for the skillful handling of the Council’s work during this month. Let me also express our appreciation to Ambassador Le Luong Minh and his team for the successful Presidency of Viet Nam in July.
  2. The holding of this open debate on the working methods of the Security Council is a welcome step. The Small-5 who have made the issue of working methods their fort, merit our appreciation for seeking this debate. We also thank others who supported the initiative.
  3. In carrying out its duties under the Charter, the Security Council acts on behalf of the member states of the United Nations. It is therefore only appropriate for the Council to know and understand how the general membership perceives its work as well as the methods it employs to carry out that work. Efficiency and transparency of the Council’s work and its decision making process are issues of great interest and importance to a large majority of UN membership. Improvement of working methods is that part of the Security Council reform issue on which there is almost complete consensus among the member states irrespective of their position on the other aspect i.e. the increase in membership.
  4. Pakistan fully endorses the comprehensive statement made by the distinguished representative of Cuba on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. We hope that these along with other proposals made during this debate will be given due consideration. I would like to take this opportunity to share a few thoughts.
  5. Having watched the Security Council both from inside and outside, one can sense and appreciate the important work that it performs and the heavy responsibility that it carries. The Council has a wide-ranging agenda and is increasingly assuming a larger role in the management of international relations. Its scope of action extends from pre-conflict peacemaking to conflict management, peacekeeping to post-conflict consolidation. It is the only body that can make binding decisions and obligations and take enforcement action. Directly or indirectly, its work concerns and affects all member states, and who in turn are logically expected to follow and assess its work.
  6. No doubt, there has been some improvement in the working methods of the Council and it is to be welcomed. But it is not enough. Unfortunately, among the general membership, there remains widespread dissatisfaction about the Council’s work and its decisions. Thus the main objective of these measures in enhancing the effectiveness and legitimacy of the Council is not being achieved. We are not sure whether the answer is in identifying new set of measures. Only if we can implement the existing ones, it might suffice.
  7. It is interesting to note that many of the measures mentioned in document S/2006/507, other proposals made in the past and in today’s debate regarding the working methods emanate directly from the UN Charter and its provisions relating to the Security Council and other principal organs. Such as Article 24, which inter alia requires that in discharging its duties the Security Council shall act in accordance with the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations. It also requires the Council to submit annual and when necessary special reports to the General Assembly for its consideration. Articles 31 and 32 provide for participation of non-Council members directly concerned with an issue in the Council’s discussions. There are other proposals which simply seek implementation of the Council’s own rules of procedure, which by the way remain provisional to date. For example Rule 48, which states that unless it decides otherwise, the Security Council shall meet in public. Provisions for pacific settlement, and enforcement measures when required, and cooperation with regional arrangements, are all mentioned in the Charter. Enhancing the relationship with troop contributing countries is an objective contained in Council’s own resolution 1353 (2001). The Open-Ended Working Group on Security Council reform has also deliberated extensively on these issues in the context of the so-called Cluster-II and has made several agreed recommendations.
  8. Others have spoken on many of these issues and I do not want to be repetitive. The crux of the matter is that these provisions, which are mostly agreed provisions, are not being faithfully implemented. In some cases, they are even misinterpreted and misused or abused. This has a direct negative bearing on the Council’s efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy. Thus we are often faced with questions whether the Council was effective in carrying out its core mandate i.e. maintenance of international peace and security; was it acting in accordance with the Charter; was it reflecting the views and interests of the membership; was it adequately engaging and consulting the member states directly concerned by an issue? A review of the Council’s agenda and dynamics provides answers to many of these questions.
  9. In recent years, the Security Council has been relatively effective in addressing internal crises. Its record has, however, been less impressive in resolving inter-state conflicts. In fact, the Council does not deal directly with some of the major conflicts and threats to international peace and security. Some other major unresolved issues, including in our own region, lay idle on the agenda of the Security Council. However, on ground these are live issues. They are a threat to international peace and security. Even on some important issues, which are on its active agenda, such as the Middle East, the role of the Council has been sidelined and viewed by many as ineffective and partisan.
  10. Determination of the Council’s agenda depends to a large extent on the positions and priorities of the permanent members and major powers. We have witnessed inaction and delay in the Council even in the face of most obvious acts of aggression and breaches of peace. On the other hand, there is pro-action, even interference, in the internal affairs of sovereign states, even in the absence of a clear threat to international peace and security. Double standards and selectivity including in implementation of the Council’s own resolutions; threats and use of force and other forms of coercion are equally disquieting.
  11. The provisions for pacific settlement of disputes remain grossly under-utilized. In contrast, there is a dangerous tendency to have recourse, too often and too soon, to measures under Chapter VII of the Charter. This trend has even created an impression, though incorrect, that non-Chapter VII provisions were of a lesser value or were not binding.
  12. As regard the format of Council’s open and closed meetings, there are arguments on the need to balance confidentiality and efficiency on the one hand and inclusiveness and transparency on the other. Irrespective of the preferences of member states, we are nowhere close to the coveted balance. It was acknowledged in the Council’s open debate on working methods 14 years ago that the public meetings had become more of a formality and everything was discussed and agreed beforehand in the informal or closed consultations. Current situation is no different. The Council remains a closed club. Informal consultations apart, the Council’s real work and decision-making transpires often in smaller and more secretive conclaves, which in some cases exclude even some members of the Council.
  13. It is therefore not surprising that despite a greater number of public meetings, there has been little tangible improvement in transparency and understanding of the decision making process of the Council. While we are far from implementing Articles 31 and 32 in the case of informal consultations, there have been instances in which the most directly concerned parties were denied participation in open meetings.
  14. Increasing interaction between the Security Council and the general membership is a key objective. Council’s interaction and coordination with the General Assembly, the ECOSOC and the Peace-building Commission is vital for a comprehensive UN approach to peace and development. As the leading troop contributing country, Pakistan has particular interest in enhancing the TCC’s engagement with the Council and the Secretariat. As others have noted, these consultation mechanisms should involve timely two-way exchange of information and views, which should form part of input for the Council’s decision making.
  15. While preserving the central role of the United Nations, the relationship and interaction with regional organizations can and should be promoted in accordance with the Charter. Council’s enhanced interaction with the African Union is a good example. The objective of such partnerships should be to promote coordination and coherence in policies to pursue collective objectives of peace and security.
  16. Enhanced cooperation with regional organizations also strengthens the concept of regional representation in the Security Council. This has great potential of ensuring wider representation of member states in the Council. It would also have a positive bearing on the working methods since regional representation would pursue larger group interests in the Council rather than individual interests.

Mr. President,

  1. We are seeking a comprehensive reform of the Security Council. The real objective of improving the working methods is to have a Council that is more transparent, democratic, representative and effective, thus enhancing its legitimacy and credibility. The central and crucial question is whether we can achieve these objectives by enlarging the coterie of the powerful few, or by strengthening democratic representation, role and influence of the general membership of the UN in the Security Council. We believe the latter is the right and the only feasible approach. Concepts of permanency, privilege and special status should have no place in today’s United Nations. The best way of ensuring accountability of the Security Council to the general membership of the UN is through the addition of non-permanent elected members, subjected to the periodic democratic test by their peers and the General Assembly.
  2. The United Nations is an indispensable instrument for the promotion of our shared goals of peace, development and human rights. We can attain these goals by following the essence of the Charter, which is cooperative multilateralism. Sustainable peace and security can only be achieved when principles have primacy over power. The world needs a Security Council, which does not always mirror power realities, but one, which can also stand up for the weak and the powerless with moral authority and credibility.

Thank you.