Security Council Working Methods
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Greece is the president of the Security Council in October. Council members adopted the provisional programme of work for the month earlier today (1 October). Greece has chosen to organise two signature events. The first is a high-level briefing on...
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France is the president of the Security Council in September. Council members were unable to reach agreement on the provisional programme of work for the month, apparently due to objections from China and Russia to the inclusion in the proposed...
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Tomorrow (19 August), the Security Council will hold its annual open debate on working methods. The open debate will be held under the agenda item “Implementation of the note by the President of the Security Council (S/2024/507)”, referring to the...
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Denmark holds the presidency of the Security Council in August. Council members adopted the provisional programme of work for the month earlier today (3 August). Denmark will organise one signature event, a high-level open debate titled “Food Under Fire: The...
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In the first half of 2026, the Security Council continued to be hampered by divisions among its members at a time when there are more conflicts than at any point since the end of World War II. UN peace operations have been a significant focus of the Council’s attention in the first half of the year. Some missions are drawing down, one has closed, and an important resolution on accountability for crimes against peacekeepers was adopted in June. Sanctions committees and working groups have only been functioning at a minimal level so far this year, as members have been unable to agree on the allocation of subsidiary body chairs. The Council has also been laying the groundwork for its recommendation to the General Assembly on who will lead the UN when the current Secretary-General, António Guterres, finishes his term on 31 December 2026.
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In August, the Security Council will hold its annual open debate on working methods. Shamala Kandiah Thompson, the Executive Director of Security Council Report, is expected to brief. Ahead of the open debate, Denmark and Pakistan, who were the co-chairs of the IWG in 2025, are expected to circulate a concept note. (The 2026 chairs of the subsidiary bodies have yet to be agreed.) The open debate will be held under the agenda item “Implementation of the note by the President of the Security Council (S/2024/507)”, referring to the most recent version of the comprehensive compendium of Council working methods.
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the president of the Security Council in July. Council members adopted the provisional programme of work for the month earlier today (1 July). The DRC will organise two signature events this month....
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In the past two years, Council members have taken an unusually long time to reach agreement on the allocation of subsidiary body chairs and vice-chairs. In 2025, the presidential note on the allocation was issued on 29 May, shortly before the General Assembly held elections for the next cohort of elected Council members. This year, disagreements have persisted even after the 3 June elections, making it the longest period with no subsidiary body chairs and vice-chairs since this decision was first recorded in a presidential note in 1979. This delay has placed significant strain on the work of subsidiary bodies. An added complication is that the lack of clarity on the available positions may delay the negotiations of the incoming members on the 2027-2028 subsidiary body chair positions.
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Tomorrow afternoon (23 June), Security Council members China and Pakistan will convene an Arria-formula meeting titled “Bridging the Implementation Gap: Security Council Resolutions and the Maintenance of International Peace and Security”. The expected briefers are Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle...
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Tomorrow morning (5 June), the General Assembly is expected to discuss the annual report of the Security Council. The report, which covers the period from 1 January to 31 December 2025, was adopted by the Security Council on 22 May (S/2026/426)....
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Colombia is the president of the Security Council in June. Council members were unable to reach agreement on the provisional programme of work for the month, apparently due to China and Russia’s objection to the inclusion of a briefing on...
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The penholder system is one of the Security Council’s most consequential informal working methods, shaping not only how Council products are drafted but also who leads negotiations and shapes responses to crisis situations. This system is a central feature of the Council’s decision-making process today. It is also an inherent aspect of how power is distributed and wielded in the Security Council.
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China is the president of the Security Council in May. Council members adopted the provisional programme of work for the month earlier today (1 May). As the signature event of its presidency, China will convene a ministerial-level open debate titled “Upholding the...
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Bahrain is the president of the Security Council in April. Council members adopted the provisional programme of work for the month earlier today (1 April). Bahrain has chosen to organise four signature events. One is a high-level open debate on maritime...
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Since the founding of the United Nations over 80 years ago, few issues have generated as much controversy among the world body’s membership, or so affected the Security Council’s work, as the veto accorded to the Council’s five permanent members (P5). In recent years, P5 divisions have hindered meaningful engagement on situations such as Myanmar, Sudan, “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”, and Ukraine. The exercise of the veto has continued to increase. The seven vetoed draft resolutions in 2024 were the most since 1986. A total of eight vetoes were cast on these failed drafts: four by Russia, three by the US, and one by China. They were on a range of issues, evidence of the divisiveness that currently pervades much of the Council’s work in an era of elevated tension among the major powers. In 2025, there were four vetoes: two by the US on a draft resolution on the war in Gaza, and two by Russia on amendments to a draft resolution on Ukraine. Significant attention continues to be focused on the adverse effects of the veto, which has been the subject of considerable academic research and a recent documentary film.
