Global Policy Forum

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Contents

I. Introduction

II. Proceedings of the Working Group during the fifty-third session of the General Assembly

A. First session of the Working Group

B. Second session of the Working Group

C. Third session of the Working Group

D. Fourth session of the Working Group

E. Fifth session of the Working Group

General observations

III. Recommendations

Annexes

One to Five:

I. General Assembly resolution 48/26 of 3 December 1993

II. General Assembly resolution 53/30 of 23 November 1998

III. Programme of work of the Working Group during the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly

IV. Conference room paper submitted by the Bureau of the Working Group, entitled "Decision-making in the Security Council, including the veto; expansion of the Security Council; periodic review of the enlarged Security Council"

V. Conference room paper submitted by the Bureau of the Working Group, entitled "Working methods of the Security Council and transparency of its work"

Six to Ten:

VI. Conference room paper submitted by the Bureau of the Working Group, entitled "Decision-making in the Security Council, including the veto; expansion of the Security Council; periodic review of the enlarged Security Council"

VII. Letter dated 31 March 2000 from the Permanent Representative of Germany to the President of the General Assembly in his capacity as Chairman of the Working Group, concerning the introduction of an obligation to explain the use of a veto

VIII. Conference room paper submitted by the Bureau of the Working Group, entitled "Decision-making in the Security Council, including the veto; expansion of the Security Council; periodic review of the enlarged Security Council"

IX. Conference room paper submitted by the Bureau of the Working Group, entitled "Working methods of the Security Council and transparency of its work"

X. Letter dated 5 July 2000 from the delegation of Italy to the Bureau of the Working Group concerning legal observations on the notion of permanent membership on the Security Council

Eleven to Thirteen:

XI. Conference room paper submitted by the Bureau of the Working Group, entitled "Decision-making in the Security Council, including the veto; expansion of the Security Council; periodic review of the enlarged Security Council"

XII. Conference room paper submitted by the Bureau of the Working Group, entitled "Working methods of the Security Council and transparency of its work"

XIII. Conference room paper submitted by the Bureau of the Working Group, entitled "Suggested general observations and recommendations for inclusion in the 2000 report of the Working Group"

I. Introduction

1. In its resolution 48/26 of 3 December 1993, the General Assembly decided to establish an Open-ended Working Group to consider all aspects of the question of increase of the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council (for the full text of the resolution, see annex I).

2. The Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council began its deliberations in January 1994. The mandate of the Working Group was extended by the General Assembly at its forty-eighth through fifty-third sessions.1 Reports on the progress of its work were submitted by the Working Group to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth through fifty-third sessions.

3. On 23 November 1998, the General Assembly adopted resolution 53/30 with regard to one of the agenda items of the Working Group, namely, "Majority required for taking decisions on Security Council reform" (for the full text of the resolution, see annex II).

4. On 13 September 1999, in its decision 53/487, the General Assembly decided that the Open-ended Working Group should continue its work and submit a report to the Assembly before the end of the fifty-fourth session, including any agreed recommendations. The present report has been prepared and submitted pursuant to that decision.

II. Proceedings of the Working Group during the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly

5. The President of the General Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), served as Chairman of the Working Group. Ambassadors Hans Dahlgren (Sweden) and John de Saram (Sri Lanka) were reappointed on 6 March 2000 as Vice-Chairmen of the Working Group.

6. During the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly, the Open-ended Working Group held five substantive sessions as follows: first session, 6 to 15 March 2000; second session, 3 to 5 April 2000; third session, 2 to 12 May 2000; fourth session, 12 to 14 June 2000; and fifth session, 10 to 21 July 2000. A total of 32 meetings were held during the five sessions, during which delegations made written as well as oral proposals related to the issues discussed. Reference was made to proposals and/or position papers submitted during previous sessions and annexed to previous reports of the Working Group. All proposals remain on the table. The Working Group affirmed that the work of the General Assembly on Security Council reform should be conducted in conformity with the relevant Assembly resolutions, fully respecting the need for transparency and open-endedness.

A. First session of the Working Group

7. At its first session, from 6 to 15 March 2000, the Working Group adopted its programme of work (see annex III).

8. The Working Group agreed that it should, in the light of its discussions in preceding years, in particular its discussions in 1999, continue: (a) its consideration of cluster I issues; namely, issues arising under the second item (Decision-making in the Security Council, including the veto), the third item (Expansion of the Security Council), and the fourth item (Periodic review of the enlarged Security Council) of its programme of work; and (b) its consideration of cluster II issues, namely, issues arising under the first item (Working methods of the Security Council and transparency of its work) of its programme of work.

9. The Working Group agreed that cluster I and cluster II issues should continue to be considered by the Working Group in tandem, meaning that the Working Group should, in terms of time and emphasis, consider cluster I and cluster II issues in a similar and balanced manner.

10. Meetings of the Working Group were chaired, when the Chairman of the Working Group was not present, by each of the Vice-Chairmen alternately.

11. For its discussion of cluster I issues, the Working Group had before it its report to the fifty-third session of the General Assembly3 and a conference room paper prepared by the Bureau of the Working Group (A/AC.247/2000/CRP.2; see annex IV).

12. For its discussion of cluster II issues, the Working Group had before it a conference room paper prepared by the Bureau of the Working Group (A/AC.247/1999/CRP.3/Rev.1; see annex IX).4 The Working Group completed a reading of this conference room paper that had been begun but not completed by the Working Group in 1999.

13. In response to an invitation from the Working Group, the then President of the Security Council, Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury (Bangladesh), and two former Presidents of the Security Council, Ambassadors Jeremy Greenstock (United Kingdom) and Arnoldo Listre (Argentina), attended the Working Group and spoke of steps taken by the Security Council with a view to ensuring greater openness and transparency in procedures.

B. Second session of the Working Group

14. At its second session, from 3 to 5 April 2000, the Working Group continued its consideration of cluster I and cluster II issues.

15. The Working Group's consideration of cluster I issues proceeded on the basis of a conference room paper (A/AC.247/2000/CRP.2 referred to above).

16. The Working Group's consideration of cluster II issues proceeded on the basis of a revised consolidated conference room paper prepared by the Bureau of the Working Group (A/AC.247/2000/CRP.3; see annex V), having regard to paragraphs provisionally agreed and proposals made in the Working Group's consideration of conference room paper A/AC.247/1999/CRP.3/Rev.1 referred to above.

C. Third session of the Working Group

17. At its third session, from 2 to 12 May 2000, the Working Group continued its consideration of cluster I and cluster II issues.

18. The Working Group's consideration of cluster I issues proceeded on the basis of conference room paper A/AC.247/2000/CRP.2 referred to above and a revised conference room paper prepared by the Bureau of the Working Group (A/AC.247/2000/CRP.2/Rev.1; see annex VI), having regard to a number of observations made in the Working Group with reference to inadequacies of conference room paper A/AC.247/2000/CRP.2.

19. In addition, Germany submitted a letter (A/AC.247/2000/CRP.4; see annex VII) concerning its proposal on the introduction of an obligation to explain the use of a veto.

20. The Working Group's consideration of cluster II issues proceeded on the basis of conference room paper A/AC.247/2000/CRP.3 referred to above.

D. Fourth session of the Working Group

21. At its fourth session, from 12 to 14 June 2000, the Working Group continued its consideration of cluster I and cluster II issues.

22. The Working Group's consideration of cluster I issues continued on the basis of conference room paper A/AC.247/2000/CRP.2/Rev.1 referred to above.

23. The Working Group's consideration of cluster II issues continued on the basis of conference room paper A/AC.247/2000/CRP.3 referred to above. A first reading of this conference room paper was completed.

24. In response to a request by the Working Group, Secretariat officials from the Department of Political Affairs and Department of General Assembly and Conference Services briefed the Group regarding the time required for the preparation and processing of the annual report of the Security Council to the General Assembly. .

E. Fifth session of the Working Group

25. At its fifth session, from 10 to 21 July, the Working Group continued its consideration of cluster I and cluster II issues.

26. Italy submitted a letter (A/AC.247/2000/CRP.5; see annex X) concerning legal observations on the notion of permanent membership on the Security Council.

27. The Working Group's consideration of cluster I issues continued on the basis of a revised conference room paper prepared by the Bureau of the Working Group (A/AC.247/2000/CRP.2/Rev.2; see annex VIII). As a result of this discussion, the Bureau of the Working Group prepared a further revised conference room paper (A/AC.247/2000/CRP.2/Rev.3; see annex XI).

28. The Working Group's consideration of cluster II issues continued on the basis of a revised conference room paper prepared by the Bureau of the Working Group (A/AC.247/2000/CRP.3/Rev.1; see annex IX). As a result of this discussion, the Bureau of the Working Group prepared a further revised conference room paper (A/AC.247/2000/CRP.3/Rev.2; see annex XII).

29. At the fifth session, the Working Group also considered its report to the General Assembly, in part on the basis of a conference room paper prepared by the Bureau of the Working Group with suggested general observations and recommendations (A/AC.247/2000/CRP.6; see annex XIII).

30. There was no agreement this year on any general observations.

III. Recommendations

31. At its 32nd meeting, on 21 July 2000, the Open-ended Working Group concluded its work for the current session of the General Assembly. It decided to recommend that consideration of this item be continued at the fifty-fifth session of the Assembly, building upon the work done during the previous sessions and with a view to facilitate the process of reaching general agreement. To that end, the Working Group recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of the following draft decision:

"The General Assembly, recalling its previous resolutions and decisions relevant to, and having considered the report of the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council, established pursuant to its resolution 48/26 of 3 December 1993:

(a) Takes note of the report of the Working Group on its work during the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly;

(b) Welcomes the progress so far achieved in the consideration of the issues dealing with the working methods of the Security Council as provisional agreement has been recorded on a large number of issues, and urges the Open-ended Working Group to continue exerting efforts during the fifty-fifth session to achieve progress in the consideration of all aspects of the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council;

(c) Decides that the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council should be considered during the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly, and further decides that the Working Group should continue its work, taking into account the progress achieved during the forty-eighth through fifty-fourth sessions, as well as the views to be expressed during the fifty-fifth session of the Assembly, and submit a report to the Assembly before the end of the fifty-fifth session, including any agreed recommendations."

Notes 1 See General Assembly decisions 48/498, 49/499, 50/489, 51/476, 52/490 and 53/487.

2 Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 47 (A/48/47); ibid., Forty-ninth Session, Supplement No. 47 (A/49/47); ibid., Fiftieth Session, Supplement No. 47 (A/50/47/Rev.1); ibid., Fifty-first Session, Supplement No. 47 (A/51/47 and Corr.1); ibid., Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 47 (A/52/47); and ibid., Fifty-third Session, Supplement No. 47 (A/53/47).

3 Ibid., Fifty-third Session, Supplement No. 47 (A/53/47).

4 Ibid., annex XI.