Plenary

Thank you Mr President,

We thank the members of the Security Council and Secretariat for producing the Annual Report of the Security Council as contained in document A/72/2. 

Mr President,

2                 Last year, my delegation noted that the annual debate on the report of the Security Council had become a ritual. We spoke of the need to take this agenda item more seriously – to have the report finalised and circulated earlier, so that Member States could prepare for a more substantive and constructive exchange. Otherwise, this meeting is but one more formality in a long list of formalities. My delegation is therefore surprised and disappointed that once again, the minimum request for more time was not met. This debate was scheduled very late, and the 243-page report was distributed late as well.

3                 Mr President, this is not merely a matter of scheduling. The General Assembly has spent much of the past year speaking about the importance of multilateralism. Multilateralism is not only about the interactions between Member States. It is about the framework and norms that govern these interactions, in particular those that exist at the United Nations. Member States have engaged in important discussions in various forums about the proper role of the United Nations and its related organs. We have collectively spoken at length about the relationship of the Security Council to the wider membership. In fact, each year, the General Assembly approves 7 to 8 billion dollars to fund the mandates of the Security Council. It is therefore pertinent to ask how the Security Council is held accountable to the General Assembly, which is the only universally representative body that hears the voices of countries large and small. How do we assess the performance of the Security Council? This is the basis for this agenda item and why we should take this debate seriously.

Mr President,

4                 Let me now turn to the report itself. My delegation notes that the report provides an overview of the activities of the Security Council for the period 1 January to 31 December 2017. We welcome the move to align the report to the calendar year. This provides a more logical basis to assess the Council's work.

5                 We are also pleased by the effort to include more analysis and improve the narrative this year. Previous years' reports merely listed the number or type of meetings. This year's report tries to give a sense of the situation on the ground, the context of the Council's work during the reporting period, and a sense of the outlook in the period following. It is a step in the right direction, and we hope that it will continue in next year's report.

Mr President,

6                 Looking ahead, my delegation would like to make two suggestions to improve the report, so that it can help Member States and the wider international community in understanding and assessing the work of the Security Council, and its effectiveness in addressing threats to international peace and security.

7                 First, we note that each Security Council member is expected to complete and circulate a report on the work undertaken during its presidency. The report before us states that these monthly reports can be found online. We think it would be useful to include these monthly reports in the annexes of the report of the Security Council to the General Assembly. A first step towards this goal is the submission of such monthly reports. My delegation notes that for the year 2017, only four monthly reports have been submitted. This is disappointing. Reports for eight Council members are missing, including from two permanent members. We find it surprising that some countries who have had the privilege of serving on the Security Council, including some who have since left the Council, have not yet published assessments of their presidencies. If these reports are not submitted, how can the General Assembly assess their performance?

 8                 Second, we think that the Secretariat should make greater use of technology to make the report more useful and user-friendly. We would like to recognise the work of the Secretariat in collating statistical information and lists of documents for this report. It is particularly useful that all the relevant documents are hyperlinked in the pdf version. This is a good research tool for Member States, for example, when we look into the relevant resolutions or Council products on specific topics.

9                 My delegation thinks that more can be done to make the report more visible on the Council's website. In particular, the Secretariat should look into coordination between this report and the good work undertaken by the Repertoire. By itself, the Repertoire offers a historical perspective on the Council's work. In recent years, the Repertoire converted this into useful online tools for Member States. Some which deserve mention include the Field Missions mandate table; research tables on cross-cutting issues such as women, peace and security, children in armed conflict, and the protection of civilians; as well as highlights of Security Council practice – including maps of the UN's global presence in the field and data on sanctions regimes. Member States can therefore assess the Security Council's performance using qualitative and quantitative indicators. We can track how mandates have evolved for specific missions. The Security Council's annual report should find ways to collaborate with the Repertoire, and leverage its existing online presence to make information more accessible and digestible.

Mr President,

10               The annual report of the Security Council and this plenary meeting today are important avenues for Member States to provide inputs and views on the work of the Security Council. We have made our suggestions with the aim of helping to improve the transparency and accessibility of Council's work. They would also help Member States assess the performance of the Security Council, against objective, data-driven benchmarks. This in turn, we hope, will help to promote greater accountability for the Security Council, not only to the wider membership but also to the international community.

11               I thank you, Mr President.

.    .    .    .    .