Chairs of Subsidiary Bodies and Penholders for 2014
Every year, the Security Council revisits its allocation of chairmanships of its subsidiary bodies, a task entrusted to elected Council members. Following deliberations between the P5, and the designation of a P5 coordinator, the coordinator holds separate consultations with the elected members. Decisions regarding the 2014 distribution, coordinated by Russia, were reportedly finalised during the last week of December 2012, although Chad has since recused itself of the allotted chairmanships alleging it was not appropriately consulted.
As this chart illustrates, there is scant correlation between the “penholders” for situation-specific agenda items and the chairs of the relevant subsidiary bodies. In most, though not all, cases penholders are permanent members. As the penholders take the lead in drafting Council decisions, they normally “trump” chairs notwithstanding the chairs’ formal title and mandate. The table below lists those agenda items of which the Council is or was seized since 1 January 2010 and which have a designated penholder. For the full name of the agenda items please refer to the latest summary statement by the Secretary-General of 2 January 2014 (S/2014/10).
| Situation-Specific or Thematic Matter | “Pen-Holder” in the Council | Chair of Relevant Council Subsidiary Body |
| Afghanistan | Australia | Australia, 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Chair of the rotating Contact and Drafting Group | N/A |
| Burundi | France | N/A |
| Central Africa Region | France | Lithuania |
| Central African Republic | France | N/A |
| Côte d’Ivoire | France | Chile, 1572 Côte d’Ivoire Sanctions Committee |
| Counterterrorism (1267 and 1989) | US | Australia, 1267/1989 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee |
| Cyprus | UK | N/A |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | France | Jordan; 1533 DRC Sanctions Committee |
| DPRK (Non-proliferation) | US | Luxembourg, 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee |
| Georgia | Group of Friends | N/A |
| Great Lakes Region | France | N/A |
| Guinea-Bissau | Nigeria | Nigeria, 2048 Guinea-Bissau Committee |
| Haiti | US | N/A |
|
ICTR |
Chile | Chile, International Tribunals Informal Working Group |
|
ICTY |
Chile | Chile, International Tribunals Informal Working Group |
| Iran (Non-Proliferation) | US | Australia, 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee |
| Iraq | US | Chad, 1518 Iraq Sanctions Committee |
| Kosovo | Chair of the rotating Contact and Drafting Group | N/A |
| Liberia | US | Jordan, 1521 Liberia Sanctions Committee |
| Libya | UK | Rwanda, 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee |
| Mali | France | N/A |
| Middle East | Syria: France, Australia and Luxembourg on humanitarian issues; UNDOF: US and Russia; UNIFIL: France; Yemen: UK | Chad, 1636 Lebanon Sanctions Committee |
| Middle East, including the Palestine Question | US | N/A |
| Nepal | UK | N/A |
| Sierra Leone | UK | N/A |
| Somalia | UK; US on piracy; Russia on legal issues on piracy | Republic of Korea, 751/1907 Somalia-Eritrea Sanctions Committee |
| Sudan and South Sudan | UK on Darfur; US on South Sudan; US on Sudan/South Sudan | Argentina, 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee |
| Timor-Leste | N/A | N/A |
| West Africa | Nigeria | N/A |
| Western Sahara | US | N/A |
| Children and Armed Conflict | Luxembourg | Luxembourg, Children and Armed Conflict Working Group |
| Counterterrorism (1373) | US | Lithuania, 1373 Counterterrorism Committee |
| Counterterrorism (1566) | US | Lithuania, 1566 Working Group |
| Non-proliferation of WMD | Republic of Korea | Republic of Korea, 1540 WMD Committee |
| Peace and Security in Africa | Nigeria | Nigeria, Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa Ad Hoc Working Group |
| Peacekeeping Operations | UK | Rwanda, Peacekeeping Operations Working Group |
| Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict | UK | UK, Protection of Civilians Informal Expert Group |
| Women and Peace and Security | UK on 1325 women’s participation; US on 1820 sexual violence in conflict | N/A |
| Working Methods | Argentina | Argentina, Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions |
N.A.= Not Applicable
