Security Council Procedures
Amb. Jeremy Greenstock
December 30, 1999
1. The members of the Security Council recall the statement of the President of the Council of 16 December 1994 (S/PRST/1994/81), on an increased recourse to open meetings, and also the note by the President of 30 October 1998 (S/1998/1016) in which the members agreed that the Secretary-General was to be encouraged to make statements to the Council, when he deemed it appropriate, in public meetings of the Council. The members of the council also welcome recent steps which have been taken by the council to hold briefings by members of the Secretariat in Council meetings. Restating their view that there should be an increased recourse to public meetings, the members of the Council have agreed that they should make every effort to determine which matters, including situations involving specific countries, could usefully be considered in public meetings of the Council, in particular at an early stage in its consideration of a subject.
2. The members of the Security Council recall the note by the President of the Council of 30 June 1993 (S/26015), in which it was agreed that the Council should keep under due consideration new ways to provide information to States that are not members of the Council, so as to enhance its practice in that respect. The members of the Council have agreed that henceforth, in the absence of agreement to the contrary, the President of the Council should make draft resolutions and draft presidential statements available to States that are not members of the Council as soon as they are introduced within informal consultations of the whole. The availability of draft resolutions in blue in accordance with note S/1994/230 of 28 February 1994 will remain unaffected. The members of the Council reiterate the note by the President of 17 February 1999 (S/1999/165), in which it was stressed that the drafting of resolutions and statements by the President of the Council should be carried out in a manner that would allow adequate participation of all members of the Council.
3. The members of the Security Council have noted the importance of the practice of the presidency of briefing States that are not members of the Council. They agree that such briefings should be substantive and detailed and should cover elements presented by the President to the press. They also agree that such briefings should take place shortly after informal consultations of the whole. Whenever possible, interpretation should be provided for these briefings. The members encourage the President of the Council, at those briefings or as soon thereafter as practicable, to continue to make available to States that are not members of the Council copies of statements that he makes to the media.
Recalling the statement of the President of the Security Council of 28 March 1996 (tS/PRS--/'@996/13) and the note by the President of 30 october 1998 (S/1998/10!6), and tak'na note of paragraphs 54 and 55 of the report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (A/54/87), the members of the Council encourage the Secretary-General to make the briefing notes on field cremations to the members of the Council available, in a timely manner, to States and nonmembers of the Council.
5. In an effort further to advance the resolution of a matter under consideration, the members of the Security Council have agreed to use a range of meeting options from which they can select the one beat suited to facilitate specific discussions. Recognizing that the provisional rules of procedure of the Security Council and their own practice provide them with considerable flexibility in choosing how best to structure their meetings, members of the Council have agreed that meetings of the Council could be structured according to, but not limited to, the following formats:
(a) Public meetings:
(i) To adopt Council action, at which Member States that are not members of the Security Council participate pursuant to the Charter of the the United Nations;
(ii) To hold, inter alia, briefings, thematic debates and orientation debates, at which Member States that are not members of the Security Council participate pursuant to the Charter;
(b) Private meetings.
(i) To hold briefings or other debates, which any interested Member State may attend;
(ii) To allow certain Member States whose interests the Security Council considers are especially affected by the matter under consideration to attend, such as parties to a conflict;
(iii) To permit the transaction of Security Council business which only members of the Security Council attend, e.g., appointment of the Secretary General.
The members of the Security Council will continue their consideration of other initiatives concerning the Council's documentation and other procedural questions.
