Joint statement, delivered by the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, on behalf of the elected members of the UN Security Council, including Slovenia, at the meeting on the working methods of the Security Council

Mr. President,

1.     I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the ten elected members of the Security Council, namely Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Slovenia, the Republic of Korea, and my own country, Pakistan.  We thank the briefers for their valuable inputs on improving the working methods of the Security Council.

2.     We the elected members take very seriously the responsibility entrusted upon us through our election by the United Nations General Assembly. We are committed to a Council that demonstrates both the determination and the capability to take decisive action, fulfils its mandate effectively, and is more transparent, inclusive, responsive and representative.

3.     We stress that Note 507 remains a living document that requires continuous review. In this regard, updating the Note, as necessary, in response to contemporary needs is crucial for the Council’s effectiveness. At the same time, it is equally important that the Council reviews, updates and streamlines those working methods that no longer align with the current realities in the interest of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Council. In this vein, we welcome the comprehensive update of Note 507 last year under the leadership of Japan.

4.     Allow me to highlight a few issues of priority:

5.     First, we stress the need for an early appointment of Chairs and Vice Chairs of the Council’s subsidiary bodies, which is essential not only for the smooth functioning of the subsidiary bodies but also to help maintain continuity among outgoing, current, and incoming elected members. The process must be carried out in an efficient, timely, transparent and structured manner and the agreement of elected members on the distribution of seats must be respected. We emphasize that the practice of having elected members chair subsidiary bodies is a hard-won reform aimed at ensuring more balanced and inclusive participation in the Council’s work. The process of selection should be pursued with the equal involvement of all Council members. The contingency measure on distribution of Chairs should not be interpreted as allowing time until the end of January, or beyond, and all efforts must be made to agree on appointments for the following year preferably by 1^st October. We regret that this deadline has not been met once again this year and we encourage all Council members to engage constructively to reach consensus. Any contingency measures for delayed appointments, under exceptional circumstances, must be strictly time-bound and should not normalize expanded roles for Presidencies in the work of the subsidiary bodies.

6.     Second, there is a broad recognition for more meaningful and effective participation of elected members in penholding. The legitimacy and effectiveness of the Council can be greatly improved through a more inclusive and representative approach to  penholder-ship. The provisions of Note 507 in this regard, including the need to ensure that the arrangement of penholder or co-penholder reflects openness, a shared responsibility and fair burden-sharing, must be implemented by having more elected members assume this responsibility on an equitable basis. Equally important is the conduct of penholders and co-penholders, which must adhere to the provisions of Note 507. This adherence includes, on the one hand, the need to informally consult countries directly involved or specifically affected and to take into full consideration their views and concerns; and on the other, the need to ensure that the drafting of all documents, such as resolutions and presidential statements, as well as press statements, is carried out in an inclusive and respectful manner. Penholder-ship should abide by objectivity and impartiality during the drafting and negotiation process, and prioritize forging consensus and promoting the unity of the Council.

7.     Third, the E-10 welcome the continuation of the practice for Council Presidencies to circulate and implement monthly working methods commitments, as stipulated in the Note 507. We encourage all Council members to prepare such commitments.

8.     Fourth, recognizing the relevance of Rule 37, we reaffirm the need to ensure the participation of States that are directly affected by, or geographically proximate to a situation under the Council’s consideration. The inclusion of such States, as well as representatives of the Secretariat and other relevant persons under Rule 39, provides valuable context and contributes to more balanced and informed deliberations and decisions.

9.     Fifth, access to relevant documentation for E-10 members is necessary to ensure fairness, transparency and equality. We recognize the achievement that the inclusion of new provisions in Note 507, initiated by Algeria, represent in affirming that all members of the Security Council shall be afforded the same level of access to documentation to ensure equal examination of issues under active consideration. We further recognize the necessity for these provisions to be fully implemented and reinforced, to allow guaranteed access to documentation for all members and call upon all Council members to continue discussions aimed streamlining the process, while safeguarding the efficient functioning of the Council

10.   Sixth, we believe that the perspectives of Civil Society, including women civil society briefers, bring added value to Council deliberations, while fully respecting the intergovernmental nature of the Council. We welcome the updates to Note 507 on mitigating the risks and threats of reprisals and ensuring the full, safe and meaningful participation of these briefers in our work and encourage further discussion, including on how to promote best practices on the promotion of a zero-tolerance approach. For the safety of civil society briefers, all efforts should be made to prevent and respond to threats and reprisals in coordination with OHCHR and other relevant UN and civil society partners.

11.   Seventh, the Council should strengthen its engagement with the wider UN membership and its cooperation with the General Assembly and other UN bodies, notably the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). The Council and its subsidiary bodies should actively,  in a timely manner and with more specific requests, seek the valuable advice that the PBC can provide, including on preventive diplomacy and cooperation with local actors, regional and sub-regional organizations, in country-specific, regional and thematic files, as well as on the formation, review and drawdown of peace operations’ mandates, with a view to reflecting the longer-term perspective required for peacebuilding and sustaining peace and to enrich the discussion on mandates and the potential for cooperation on field missions. The Council should also strengthen cooperation with the PBC in relation to countries transitioning off its agenda, with due respect for national ownership.

12.   Eighth, the provisions contained in Note 507 on enhancing interaction and consultation with troop- and police-contributing countries must be fully implemented, including with regard to urgent situations that affect their operations, in cases of transition from a peacekeeping operation to peacebuilding, and on major operational changes, such as withdrawal, downsizing or termination.

13.   Ninth, targeted sanctions are an important tool available to the Security Council to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security. They are, therefore, critical to the execution of the mandate of this Council. We strongly believe in the need to strengthen due process, fairness and clarity of UN sanctions procedures, thus increasing the legitimacy and effectiveness of UN sanctions regimes. We stress their function as a preventive measure. Sanctions must not have adverse humanitarian consequences for civilian populations, nor adversely affect humanitarian activities carried out by humanitarian organizations or United Nations Agencies, and in this regard, we recall the adoption of Resolution 2664 (2022) and 2761 (2024) which introduced cross-cutting humanitarian exemptions for United Nations sanctions regimes, and underline the need for their  implementation at the national level. The newly established Informal Working Group on Sanctions can play a critical role in the review and improvement of UN sanctions.

14.   Tenth, in response to the growing urgency to increase the effectiveness of the ability of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security, the E10 members underscore the urgent need for comprehensive reform of the Security Council through the process of inter-governmental negotiations (IGN) mandated by the General Assembly as also affirmed in the Pact for the Future in order to make the Council more effective, efficient, representative, inclusive, transparent, accountable and democratic. There is need to redress the historical injustice against Africa as a priority, while treating Africa as a special case.

15.   Eleventh, we urge continued engagement with regional organizations, which also speaks to the importance of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter in executing the mandate of the Council.

16.   Twelfth, recommending the next Secretary-General of the United Nations to the General Assembly will constitute one of the most important tasks for the Security Council in 2025-2026. The E10 aim to play an active and constructive role, with the objective of increasing the transparency, predictability and inclusivity of the process, while promoting effective engagement with the candidates and keeping the broader membership regularly informed.

17.   Lastly, the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in the work of the Council remains a high priority. There is a need for integrating gender perspectives across the working methods. We also encourage UN briefers to integrate WPS issues and gender analysis into their briefings to the Council. All efforts should be undertaken to increase gender-inclusivity.

Mr. President,

18.   We remain concerned over the frequent use of the veto. In recent months, the Council failed to adopt important resolutions due to the use of the veto. The use, or threat of use of the veto, may prevent the Council from acting on vital topics, even regarding measures that have already been decided upon by the Council itself in the past. The E10 reiterates its call for restraint on the use of, and limits on the scope of the veto.

19.   To conclude, we, the ten elected members of the Security Council, speak with one voice to reaffirm our commitment today to live up to the responsibility bestowed upon us through our election by the members of the United Nations, to work together towards a more transparent, inclusive, representative Council for all, one capable of taking timely and effective action with the aim of contributing to the maintenance of international peace and security.

I thank you.

Recent Statements