The UN Security Council held an open debate today on improving its working methods. This is an important topic for Switzerland: "Strengthening efficiency" is one of the four thematic priorities the Federal Council identified for its Council membership. During the debate, Switzerland aligned itself to the joint statements of the ten elected Council members (E10) and the ACT Group. The Group advocates for a transparent, effective, efficient and inclusive UN Security Council.
The votes of the E10 are decisive to pass a resolution in the Council. A resolution requires nine votes in favour. In their joint statement, the E10 underlined the importance of adequate working methods for the Security Council to enable it to respond efficiently and transparently to current challenges in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment. To achieve this, the E10 emphasised, among other things, the willingness to compromise, the responsible use of the veto and a systematic inclusion of civil society in discussions. The joint declaration was preceded by a meeting of current and future Council members in Switzerland, where they deepened their cooperation to promote the effectiveness of the Council.
Switzerland coordinates the cross-regional ACT Group in New York, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. ACT's Council Statement underlines the need for the Security Council to act in a manner that is trustworthy to all UN member states and the billions of affected people on whose behalf it acts. "Nothing could be a better signal from the Council than the conscientious implementation of its own commitments." Against this backdrop, ACT underlined greater workload sharing among all Council members, for example through co-leadership on thematic and geographic dossiers, as well as exchanges with conflict-affected countries.
