Open Debate on the Future of the United Nations
Tomorrow (24 October), the day the UN Charter entered into force 80 years ago, the Security Council is expected to hold an open debate titled “The United Nations Organization: Looking into the Future” under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to brief via videoconference (VTC). Russia is convening the open debate as a signature event of its October Council presidency. A draft presidential statement authored by Russia is expected to be adopted during the meeting.
Open Debate
Tomorrow’s open debate takes place against the backdrop of the UN80 initiative, a process launched by Guterres in March aimed at implementing structural reforms and programmatic alignment across the UN system to make it more “effective, cost-efficient, and responsive”. The initiative is focused on achieving efficiency gains and cost reductions by eliminating redundancies, streamlining processes, and relocating services to low-cost locations. The reform effort has been launched in the context of a liquidity crisis facing the UN—largely driven by member states’ failure to pay their assessed contributions in full and on time—that has forced the world body to operate in a resource-constrained environment, leading to a hiring freeze and reduced services. It also takes place at a time when the Security Council struggles to fulfil its mandate amid heightened tensions among its permanent members.
Russia has circulated a concept note ahead of the meeting that calls for renewed commitment by all member states to the maintenance of international peace and security. It states that the open debate offers an opportunity to “reaffirm that the United Nations is not a relic of the past, but a unique, indispensable, and adaptable mechanism for addressing today’s most pressing challenges”. It adds that the UN’s role must become greater in an increasingly multipolar world, and in this context, underscores that Security Council members have a “special responsibility to cast aside their disagreements and work collectively to ensure a seamless transition to an equitable world order”.
The concept note proposes several questions to help guide the discussion, including:
- What can be done to ensure that the UN Charter is implemented in its entirety?
- What concrete measures can help overcome the current crisis of confidence, revive a culture of dialogue, and strengthen the spirit of unity within the UN, particularly at the Security Council?
- What is the long-term vision of the future of the UN after its 80th anniversary, including against the backdrop of the Secretary-General’s UN80 initiative?
Tomorrow’s meeting is likely to feature contrasting interpretations of the UN Charter, as well as differing perspectives on the challenges facing multilateralism. Russia may assert that the “rules-based international order” referred to by many Western countries is a façade for the selfish pursuit of their strategic interests and maintain that Western states adhere to international law only when it is convenient for them to do so. Some Western countries and other like-minded states might reiterate their condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and in this context, accuse Russia of hypocrisy for professing its commitment to the UN Charter while violating one of its core tenets, namely the prohibition of the use of force against the territorial integrity of states outlined in Article 2(4).
Differing views of the scope of international peace and security are likely to be reflected in the statements. Some member states may emphasise the interdependence of the three pillars of the UN system—peace and security, human rights, and development. They may argue that issues such as gender equality, inclusivity, and climate action should be discussed at the Security Council, as addressing them can help to promote sustainable peace. Other member states that hold a narrower view of peace and security may argue that issues like human rights and development are outside the scope of the Council’s mandate.
There may be calls for structural reform of the Security Council during the meeting, particularly from developing countries. As the Council fails to meet expectations to maintain international peace and security, calls for structural reform of the body have grown louder. This was reflected in the September 2024 Pact for the Future, the outcome document of the Summit of the Future, which was agreed by world leaders through intergovernmental negotiations. The Pact calls for greater representation in the Security Council of “underrepresented and unrepresented regions and groups”, including Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and especially Africa.
During the open debate, some speakers may acknowledge the need to build trust and cooperation among member states, including the major powers, as an important condition for creating a more peaceful international system. There may be calls, especially from developing countries, for reform of the international financial architecture to make the multilateral system more equitable and just.
With the selection process for a new UN Secretary-General about to commence, some member states may raise the importance of a transparent and efficient selection process for the next Secretary-General, who will be leading the world body into the future at a particularly challenging time in its history.
Presidential Statement
The presidential statement expected to be adopted tomorrow reaffirms the Security Council’s commitment to the UN Charter and to multilateralism on the occasion of the world body’s 80th anniversary. It also reaffirms the Council’s primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and recalls the purposes for which the UN was founded, including “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”.
There are two references to international law in the agreed presidential statement. It reaffirms the Council’s commitment to “an international order based on international law”. It also underscores the need for states, international and regional organisations, and relevant partners to respect international law, including the UN Charter.
The vital role of UN peacekeeping operations and special political missions in promoting the maintenance of international peace and security is also acknowledged. The agreed presidential statement also notes that the Council welcomes cooperation with regional and sub-regional organisations, which carry out activities in accordance with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter.
In keeping with the forward-looking theme of tomorrow’s open debate, the agreed draft text stresses the Council’s commitment to enhancing the UN’s role across its mandates and activities. This commitment includes ensuring that the UN is “fit, effective, and responsive” to present and future challenges, with the Council reiterating its support for enhanced coordination and cooperation within the UN system.
The negotiations on the draft presidential statement were relatively straightforward. Russia circulated an initial draft of the text to all Council members on 2 October. Following two rounds of negotiations and two revisions of the text, the third draft text was placed under its sole silence procedure, which passed on 17 October.
One factor that likely helped facilitate the negotiations was that much of the text draws on agreed language from a presidential statement adopted on 9 January 2020 during a ministerial-level open debate on “Upholding the UN Charter” initiated by then-Council member Viet Nam. That presidential statement was adopted on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the UN, and like the draft presidential statement expected to be adopted tomorrow, it reaffirms the Council’s commitment to the UN Charter and to multilateralism.
Although the negotiations were not contentious, there were some differences of view that required compromise, and some language in the original draft text was not acceptable to some members. For instance, a reference to addressing the “root causes” of armed conflict in the initial draft was controversial to European members of the Council in particular. This may have reflected concerns that Russia at times refers to the root causes of the war in Ukraine in a way that contrasts with the views of several other Council members. Some members also did not agree with a reference in the initial text to a commitment to the UN Charter’s “interrelatedness”, a term that they apparently believed lacked clarity. As a result of these concerns, the references to “root causes” and the commitment to the “interrelatedness” of the UN Charter were removed from the final draft of the presidential statement.
During the negotiations, Pakistan apparently proposed language calling for the promotion of the peaceful settlement of disputes in the context of addressing threats to international peace and security. Council members supported the amendment, which was incorporated into the agreed presidential statement. This proposal was consistent with the substance of resolution 2788 of 22 July, which was authored by Pakistan and urges member states to effectively utilise the UN Charter’s mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and judicial settlement.
Other proposed amendments that were not accepted included language on issues such as human rights and women, peace and security (WPS) as well as additional references to international law. A call for the presidential statement to acknowledge the importance of civil society to dialogue in the multilateral system was also not heeded.
