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Mr. President
Pakistan welcomes this opportunity to review progress in enhancing the working methods of the Security Council.
We appreciate the Concept Note prepared by your delegation to facilitate the discussion.
Let me also thank Ambassador Marita Perceval of Argentina for her effective leadership of the Council’s Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Matters.
This debate generates considerable attention because the work of the Security Council is of interest to Council and non-Council members alike. Enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency in Council’s work and inclusive decision-making are important issues for all of us.
Today's debate should help us further improve the Council’s procedures and working methods.
The Council has agreed on new measures, complementing the Presidential Note S/2010/507. But clearly, there is room to do a lot more.
Our focus should be on effective follow-up and implementation of the measures in place.
Last December, the Council took decisions on appointing chairpersons of subsidiary bodies in a balanced, transparent, efficient and inclusive manner. This has already made a difference, as perhaps for the first time, there was a sense of consultation on this process, especially among the newly elected members. We hope this trend would be reinforced in future.
There is also a need to make the process of selection and appointment of various expert panels/groups more transparent, balanced and representative.
The President’s Note of August 2013 prioritizes enhancing interaction with non-Council members. We are pleased that the practice of wrap-up sessions revived during Pakistan’s Presidency in January has been supported and appreciated both inside and outside the Council.
We thank all those countries who have commended Pakistan's Presidency for reviving the wrap up sessions.
We welcome the recent adoption of the Note on enhancing consultations with the troop and police contributing countries, who are important stakeholders in the Council’s work. Pakistan, as Chair of the Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations, has organized a number of meetings with the participation of TCCs and PCCs to address diverse, cross-cutting peacekeeping issues.
We are grateful to the Council members who have appreciated the work of Pakistan as Chairman of the Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations.
We should now make additional effort to increase the number of Council’s public meetings as compared to the closed consultations.
It would serve the Council well to fully implement Articles 31 and 32 of the Charter to enhance access and participation of non-Council members to the work of the Council and its subsidiary bodies.
We have seen increased use of Informal Interactive Dialogues, which have served useful purpose in enabling the Council to interact and engage more candidly with important interlocutors. Video-conferencing has provided flexibility and more options to receive briefings frequently and at short notice.
Cooperation with regional organizations has increased in recent years and merits further strengthening, including by improving coherence and consistency in approaches.
Pakistan believes that the Council should rely more on diplomacy and the pacific settlement of disputes under Chapter-VI of the Charter. Excessive reliance on Chapter-VII can lead to impasse on several issues and create an erroneous impression about the sanctity and force of non-Chapter VII resolutions.
The Council also needs to discuss, from time to time, implementation of its resolutions, especially those on longstanding issues.
The Council’s effectiveness after all is to be judged by its performance in dealing with the core issues of international peace and security. ,
The Council’s work is a collective effort. Enhanced cooperation and consultation between the permanent and non-permanent members is of fundamental importance in this regard.
We have seen that this dialogue works reasonably well in normal circumstances, and the Council is seen to be functioning as a whole. But in crisis situations, there are at times gaps and breakdowns in communication. The media are sometimes ahead of the Council members in obtaining information. Instead of waiting to hear from the Council, people learn about the latest developments from tweets. In fact intra-Council dialogue and communication should be enhanced, not cut down, in crisis situations.
This can be done in two ways:
One. A sensitive and fast evolving issue may require confidentiality and sufficient time for consultation between primary interlocutors. After their internal consultations, the P-5 may brief non-permanent members in closed consultations.
Two. The President, especially a non-permanent member, should be taken into confidence about various developments. The President, as deemed appropriate, may be authorized to brief the entire Council, general membership and the media. Council Presidencies are well placed to promote such dialogue and communication.
Mr. President,
As part of a comprehensive reform, Council’s working methods are closely linked to accountability towards the general membership. Past practice indicates that elected members, being accountable to their regional groups and the entire UN membership, are keen to improve working methods.
The best way to enhance the representative and democratic character of the Council is to reinforce the norms of accountability and transparency. This, coupled with cooperation of the permanent members, would lead to increased synergy in the Council around the common objective of improving its working methods.
I thank you.