February 2013 Monthly Forecast

Posted 31 January 2013
Download Complete Forecast: PDF
THE SECURITY COUNCIL

Chairs of Subsidiary Bodies and Pen Holders for 2013

Every year, the Security Council revisits its allocation of chairmanships of its subsidiary bodies, a task entrusted to the elected Council members following deliberations between the P5 and separate consultations with the elected members. Decisions regarding the 2013 distribution were finalised during the last week of December 2012. As this chart illustrates, there is scant correlation between the “pen-holders” for situation-specific agenda items and the chairs of the relevant subsidiary bodies. In most, though not all cases, “pen-holders” are permanent members. As the “pen-holders” 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 2009 and which have a designated “pen-holder”. For the full name of the agenda items please refer to the latest summary statement by the Secretary-General of 2 January 2013 (S/2013/10).

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 rotating Contact and Drafting Group N.A.
Burundi France N.A.
Central Africa Region France N.A.
Central African Republic France N.A.
Côte d’Ivoire France  Guatemala, 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 (DRC) France Azerbaijan, 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 Togo Morocco, 2048 Guinea-Bissau Sanctions Committee
Haiti US N.A.
ICTR Guatemala Guatemala, International Tribunals Informal Working Group
ICTY Guatemala Guatemala, International Tribunals Informal Working Group
Iran (Non-Proliferation) US Australia, 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee
Iraq US Togo, 1518 Iraq Sanctions Committee
Kosovo Chair of rotating Contact and Drafting Group N.A.
Liberia US Pakistan, 1521 Liberia Sanctions Committee
Libya UK Rwanda, 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee
Mali France N.A.
Middle East Syria (France);
UNDOF (US and Russia);
UNIFIL (France);
Yemen (UK)
Togo, 1636 Lebanon Sanctions Committee
Middle East, including the Palestinian Question US N.A.
Myanmar UK or 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 UK on Darfur; US on Sudan/South Sudan Argentina, 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee
Timor-Leste Currently N.A. (Previously South Africa) N.A.
 West Africa Togo N.A.
 Western Sahara US N.A.
     
Children and Armed Conflict Luxembourg Luxembourg, Children and Armed Conflict Working Group
Counterterrorism (1373) US Morocco, 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee
Counterterrorism (1566) US Morocco, 1566 Working Group
Non-Proliferation of WMD Republic of Korea Republic of Korea, 1540 WMD Committee
Peace and Security in Africa Rwanda Rwanda, Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa Ad Hoc Working Group
Peacekeeping Operations Pakistan Pakistan, 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 agenda; US on 1820 sexual violence in conflict agenda N.A.  
Working Methods Argentina Argentina, Informal Working Group on Documentation and other Procedural Questions

N.A.: Not Applicable

Subscribe to receive SCR publications