Special Research Report Security Council Working Methods: A Tale of Two Councils? Ambassador José Filipe Moraes Cabral (Portugal), President of the Security Council in November 2011, In our third Special Research Report on the work- methods making this gap more pronounced. At presides over an open debate on ing methods of the Security Council, we examine the same time, the report concludes that prog- Security Council working methods. their evolution since the end of the Cold War, con- ress on working methods reform often hinges on centrating in particular on relevant developments the political courage shown by Council mem- since the publication of our 2010 report. With 13 bers, first and foremost, as well as the ingenuity, 2014, No. 1 case studies, the present report also seeks to cre- personality and audacity of individual permanent 25 March 2014 ate a historical record of certain working methods. representatives. It is therefore no surprise that This report is available online at Overall, the report shows that working methods those with an interest in and commitment to a securitycouncilreport.org. have su!ered di!erent and inconsistent fates. It particular working method, regardless of whether For daily insights by SCR on evolving also finds an increase in the divide between the they are a permanent or non-permanent member, Security Council actions please subscribe to our “What’s In Blue” permanent and non-permanent members of the have usually enjoyed some degree of success.• series at whatsinblue.org or follow Council with certain relatively recent working @SCRtweets on Twitter. Security Council Report Special Research Report March 2014 securitycouncilreport.org 1 Introduction This is Security Council Report’s third Spe- adaptable international body, at times capa- 2 Introduction cial Research Report on the working methods ble of modifying its methods of work literally 3 Approaches to Working of the Security Council, following Security on the spot. Methods—Inside and Outside Council Transparency, Legitimacy and E!ective- Since the publication of our 2010 Special the Council ness: E!orts to Reform Council Working Meth- Research Report on working methods, several 6 Recent Trends in Council ods 1993-2007 (18 October 2007) and Securi- working methods concerns have been con- Working Methods ty Council Working Methods: A Work in Progress? structively addressed, either by the Council 8 Case Studies (30 March 2010). itself or by the Secretariat. Our recent research—examining almost Among the recent new practices under- 8 The Annual Report to the General Assembly exactly four years of developments within taken by the Council particularly worth high- the Security Council, its Informal Working lighting are: 10 The Seizure List Group on Documentation and Other Proce- • annual open debates on working methods; 12 Lead Roles Within the Council: dural Questions (Informal Working Group) • greater transparency of some subsidiary Penholders and Chairs and its other subsidiary bodies and compar- bodies; 15 Wrap-Up Sessions ing them to earlier findings—shows that sev- • substantive changes in the listing and del- 19 eral of the same issues continue to be the key isting working methods of Council sanc- 22 “Arria-Formula” Meetings topics in discussions about Council working tions committees; methods. These include transparency, partic- • the establishment of the O"ce of the 33 Informal Interactive Dialogues ipation, accountability and e"ciency. In the Ombudsperson for the 1267/1989 Al- 38 Sanctions Listing and Delisting years since the end of the Cold War— when Qaida Sanctions Committee; and 40 Council Visiting Missions the Council began significantly modifying its • the development of more productive 50 Council Press Statements working methods in response to the increased working relationships with regional range and number of issues it was called organisations. 52 The Veto and the Procedural Vote upon to address—up until the beginning of In parallel with the e!orts undertaken by the current decade, there were essentially two the Council to address some of the concerns 53 Interaction with Troop- and Police-Contributing Countries approaches to and two perspectives on work- coming from inside and outside the Council, ing methods: from inside and from outside the Security Council A!airs Division of the 56 Interaction with the the Council. In the past four or five years, Secretariat undertook a major overhaul of the Peacebuilding Commission an emerging new feature observed in these content and the design of the Security Coun- 68 Council Dynamics with Regard discussions seems to be an important set of cil website. Some key new features include: to Working Methods concerns coming from within the Council, • the improved overall user-friendliness of 69 Conclusions regarding its internal transparency and par- the website; 71 Annex I: Security Council ticipation, and the perception of a growing • the development of new periodic, publicly Vetoes gap between the permanent and non-perma- available documents, such as the annu- 89 Annex II: Informal Working nent members of the Security Council. al “Highlights of the Security Council Group on Documentation and Our recent research also suggests that Practice” published since 2011 and the Other Procedural Questions progress on working methods is not linear “Reporting and Mandate Cycles” pub- 91 Annex III: UN Documents and sometimes it is outright circular, such lished monthly since November 2012; and that: • the inclusion on the website of past month- • some working methods, despite calls ly programmes of work of the Council and by nearly all Council members for their of past monthly Council “Tentative Fore- reform, never change; casts of Work” prepared by the Secretariat • some past working methods, initially wel- (going back to January 2011). comed and embraced, are abandoned or In undertaking the preparation of this discontinued by the Security Council; report, SCR felt that a broader look at the • some working methods seem to be aban- evolution of working methods seemed war- doned only to be rediscovered and revived ranted at this point. While concentrating on years later; and and analysing the current state of play and • some working methods, while continu- most recent working methods developments, ing to be used, become less nimble and this Special Research Report also seeks to cre- usually take considerably more time to be ate a historical record of certain working applied. methods and to provide an overview of their Yet, throughout its post-Cold War history, evolution since the end of the Cold War in and arguably even during the Cold War itself, particular, through a series of case studies. the Council has continued to be the most 2 whatsinblue.org Security Council Report Special Research Report March 2014 Approaches to Working Methods—Inside and Outside the Council The Provisional Rules of Procedure longest-serving P5 ambassador to provide an under its Article 29 prerogative to establish The issue of Security Council working meth- authoritative interpretation. It is also worth any subsidiary bodies it deems necessary, it ods proved to be di"cult and divisive early pointing out that often the language of the set up as a venue for this work an “Infor- on in UN history. The Executive Commit- notes by the President is drafted in aspira- mal Working Group of the Security Council tee of the UN Preparatory Commission was tional terms rather than as a firm commit- concerning the Council’s documentation and assigned to draft the Rules of Procedure of ment and that some of their provisions are other procedural questions”, whose chair- the Security Council. After lengthy debates never implemented. manship changed every month along with within the Committee, a draft was presented the Council presidency. Information about to the Council for adoption at its first meet- Change from Inside: the Informal the first phase of the work of this body is ing on 17 January 1946. The Council pro- Working Group and Note 507 hard to compile as the 30 June 1993 note by ceeded to discuss the draft for the next five With the end of the Cold War the Council the President (S/26015) only passingly ref- months and on 24 June 1946 decided that experienced a dramatic increase in its activ- erences the “group” without providing any it could not agree on a definitive set of rules ity and workload. It became a body that was additional information. A full reference to the to govern its working methods. Accordingly, virtually continuously in session, and its Informal Working Group first appears in the it only adopted “provisional” Rules of Pro- existing procedures became inadequate. To note by the President of 29 November 1993 cedure (S/96). These provisional rules have accommodate the increased workload and (S/26812). Speaking at the first open debate been revised seven times but have continued cope with continuous discussion on often on working methods held on 16 December almost unchanged. All revisions were minor, very sensitive issues, the Council introduced 1994, the UK provided a brief description of for example, the last one, on 21 December many new practices. In this context, one of its origins: “The desire to enhance the flow 1982, was simply to update the document to the key new practices was convening a con- of information and the exchange of views include Arabic as an o"cial language. They siderable number of its meetings (about half between the Security Council and the Gener- are still considered provisional to this day and but probably accounting for more than half al Assembly lay behind the Council’s decision constitute the only o"cial set of rules guiding of the time spent in meetings) as consulta- of June 1993 to establish an informal work- the working methods of the Council. tions rather than holding them publicly in ing group on documentation and other pro- In the last several years, in particular dur- the Council chamber.