December 2010 Monthly Forecast

THE SECURITY COUNCIL

Security Council Subsidiary Bodies

Expected Council Action
In December, the Council is expected to be briefed by the chairmen of subsidiary bodies whose countries will be finishing their term on the Council.

Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting, Permanent Representative of Austria, will brief the Council on the Security Council committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) concerning Al-Qaida and the Taliban and associated individuals and entities; the Security Council committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan; and the informal working group on international tribunals.

Ambassador Tsuneo Nishida, Permanent Representative of Japan, will brief the Council on the Security Council committee established pursuant to resolution 1737 (2006) concerning Iran; the working group on peacekeeping operations; and the informal working group on documentation and other procedural questions.

Ambassador Claude Heller, Permanent Representative of Mexico, will brief the Council on the Security Council committee established pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea; the Security Council committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) concerning non-state actors and weapons of mass destruction; and the working group on children and armed conflict.

Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan, Permanent Representative of Turkey, will brief the Council on the Security Council committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counterterrorism; the Security Council committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) concerning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; and the working group established pursuant to resolution 1566 (2004) on individuals, groups or entities involved in or associated with terrorist activities and possible compensation for their victims.

Ambassador Ruhakana Rugunda, Permanent Representative of Uganda, will brief the Council on the ad hoc working group on conflict prevention and resolution in Africa.

In addition, the Council may be briefed by the chairman of the Security Council committee established pursuant to resolution 1132 (1997) concerning Sierra Leone by Ambassador Nawaf Salam, Permanent Representative of Lebanon, following the dissolution of the committee by resolution 1940 (2010).

The meeting may be followed by a press statement.

Council Dynamics
In an annual practice dating back to 2002, chairmen of subsidiary bodies reflect, in their personal capacity, on the work of the subsidiary bodies that they have chaired. In the past, chairmen have briefed the Council on the key developments and achievements of the subsidiary bodies in the course of implementing their mandates. Chairmen have also tried to assess the practical effects the regimes—imposed by some subsidiary bodies—may have had on the situations they were established to address. At times, some have taken the opportunity to assess the working methods and end products of the subsidiary bodies they chaired, as well as their controlling mandate.

The briefing sessions have also provided a forum for chairmen to share with the Council forward-looking suggestions, based on conclusions drawn from their experience. Indeed, some have used the forum to make recommendations for adjusting the mandate and working methods of the subsidiary bodies they have chaired, as well as the resources allotted to those subsidiary bodies. Chairmen have also stressed that these recommendations were aimed, in their own perspective, at enhancing the effectiveness and legitimacy of the Council’s subsidiary bodies.

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UN Documents

Selected Security Meeting Records of Briefings by Subsidiary Body Chairs

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