Security Council Reform Not Progressing
New York, 26 June 2007 – Two newly appointed facilitators of General Assembly consultations on Security Council reform have met with regional groups on possible ways to move forward. They aim to submit a report to General Assembly President Haya Rashed Al Khalifa by the end of this month. So far, views diverge on how to proceed, and no compromises have been reached on current reform proposals.
Recent Background
Earlier this year five ambassadors were appointed by President Al Khalifa to conduct comprehensive consultations on a broad range of issues related to Security Council reform. The facilitators’ compiled report was circulated to states on 19 April.
On 3 May the president convened an informal meeting of the General Assembly Open-ended Working Group on Security Council Reform. Member States responded to the facilitators’ report, some optimistically but many very cautiously. Some called for continued consultations to build consensus, while many others urged the President to initiate concrete negotiations. The outcome of the meeting was uncertain given delegations’ varying views on the next steps.
After additional consultations throughout the month, on 22 May Al Khalifa appointed two new co-facilitators to conduct further consultations. Ambassadors Heraldo Muñoz (Chile) and Christian Wenaweser (Liechtenstein) were asked to use the April facilitators’ report as the basis for consultations and report back to her by the end of June. The facilitators from the previous stage of the process have been asked to continue in an advisory capacity.
Two meetings were convened recently – one on 8 June with the Non-aligned Movement (NAM), and another on 11 June with the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (GRULAC).
Reported Highlights of NAM Consultation
- The facilitators’ submission to the PGA will not be in the form of a draft resolution, they said. It will be a two-part report with the proposals currently being discussed, which they hope to narrow down beforehand, and a narrative section with rationale and background.
- Almost all of the six delegations that spoke reaffirmed the importance of Security Council reform as a priority issue without which UN reform would not be complete.
- Some delegations expressed concern about the deadline set for the end of June for reporting to the GA president. They expressed alarm at the deadline set by the President of the General Assembly and urged caution. They felt that a premature deadline for agreement would only cause Member States to further drift from consensus. Another cause for concern was that the facilitators would eliminate options from the table. Another delegation, noting the GA president’s requested timeline, suggested that a draft be completed by mid-June so that NAM could review it before submission. A delegation from the African Group said that his region is “nowhere near” having a position on this stage of consultations, because there is not yet a concrete proposal for their review; the June deadline, therefore, may not be achievable. He also cautioned the facilitators’ against eliminating any options or positions from their report at this stage.
- India reiterated the position of the Group of 4 (G-4), which has not altered as a result of consultations to date. But India also desired further discussion of the transitional models proposed in the Facilitators’ report (Paragraph 9).
- The session ended with responses from the facilitators. They confirmed that they would observe the June deadline and submit a progress report to President Al Khalifa by then. However, they assured delegations that they would not make any new proposals to her or pursue a hasty drafting process of a resolution. They would indeed “refine” the existing proposals, although this may arouse the concern of delegations which are not yet ready for proposals to be narrowed down. The facilitators noted that as delegations’ positions vary widely, an agreement cannot be reached without some concessions being made. They encouraged delegations to search for intermediary solutions that have not been proposed in the past. Lastly, they suggested that the question of the veto and some other issues would not be addressed in this months’ submission to the GA president. Instead they will take them up after the June deadline. They have an overall timeframe to continue their work until the end of the 61st Session (end of August).
Currently the facilitators are holding consultations in smaller groups and bilaterally in preparation to submit their status report by the end of June.
Co-chairs’ Upcoming Report
In a 22 June briefing for NGOs organized by the office of the president of the General Assembly, the co-chairs explained that they wish to expand on the April 19 report of the five facilitators. The next step for member states, said Ambassador Wenaweser, should be made on the basis of a model that includes a “third category” of Security Council seats – neither permanent or two-year non-permanent, but perhaps non-permanent seats longer than the current term. Ambassador Muñoz added that the three previously proposed models (from the G-4, United for Consensus, and African Union), have not yielded a solution, but they must be “accounted for” and incorporated into a compromise. The needed next step, he said, is to enter a stage of negotiations that include “true give and take.” It should be possible for groups to postpone some of their “legitimate aspirations” for the present time, both because they could be pursued later on and since they cannot all be realized right away. The intermediary approach, he stressed, would be more fruitful than reverting to previous, unsuccessful positions. (To read the existing major positions, see “Key Documents” at the top of this page.)
Muñoz also noted that the “overwhelming majority” of UN member states believe in need to enlarge the Security Council. But for smaller states, reform of the Council’s working methods is as important as membership enlargement, because they cannot expect permanent or even regular non-permanent membership on the Council.
A 2006 proposal on working methods reform has broad support, but many states are reluctant to adopt it without a guarantee of membership enlargement at the same time.
Next Steps
The co-chairs will submit a report to the President Al Khalifa at the end of this month. After that, she will be responsible for determining how to proceed.
Resources
Report of the Five Facilitators of Consultations on Security Council Reform
Letter from President of General Assembly re: Appointment of New Facilitators
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