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| President of the United Nations Security Council | |
|---|---|
| Name | Presidency of the United Nations Security Council |
| Formation | 1946 |
President of the United Nations Security Council is the official who presides over meetings of the United Nations Security Council and represents the Council in formal interactions with other United Nations organs, United Nations Secretariat officials, and member state missions. The officeholder, drawn from the Council’s ten members and non-permanent members such as representatives from France, China, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, India, and Mexico, exercises procedural authority in sessions that address crises like the Korean War, Suez Crisis, Gulf War, Syrian civil war, and sanctions regimes tied to treaties such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and resolutions involving bodies like the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
The president organizes the Council’s agenda, convenes meetings, issues invitations to representatives from World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, African Union, European Union, NATO, and specialized agencies such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The president liaises with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, negotiates with envoys from states including Germany, Canada, Australia, Argentina, and Turkey, and coordinates briefings by officials from the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Children’s Fund, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The holder oversees the adoption of presidential statements, prorogues meetings, and may call emergency sessions in matters involving treaties like the Chemical Weapons Convention and institutions such as the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Rotation follows the Council’s established geographic distribution among regional groups: seats circulate among the African Group, Asia-Pacific Group, Eastern European Group, Latin American and Caribbean Group, and Western European and Others Group. The presidency rotates monthly in English alphabetical order of member state names, engaging representatives from states such as Nigeria, Ecuador, Poland, Spain, Philippines, and Uzbekistan when they hold Council seats. The Permanent Representatives or Ambassadors of voting members, including envoys accredited to the United Nations Office at Geneva, United Nations Office at Vienna, and the United Nations Office at Nairobi, assume the role for a one-month term without direct election, subject to informal consultations with diplomats from Belgium, Chile, Kenya, Italy, Chile, and Rwanda.
During formal sessions the president directs proceedings, calls for votes on draft resolutions sponsored by member states such as United Kingdom, United States, Russia, China, and France, and announces decisions including vetoes cast by permanent members. The president signs adopted resolutions and presidential statements, manages procedural questions about the participation of non-member entities like the Palestine Liberation Organization or representatives of Kosovo, and coordinates briefings from officials such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and experts from panels on sanctions and peacekeeping involving missions like MINUSMA, UNAMID, and MONUSCO. The officeholder enforces rules drawn from the United Nations Charter and precedent set in debates at sessions on conflicts such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Libya, and Yemen.
Notable presidents include Permanent Representatives who steered the Council during crises: ambassadors from United Kingdom and United States during the Suez Crisis and Gulf War; envoys from France and Russia during debates over Kosovo and Crimea; and representatives from China and India in deliberations over Kashmir and North Korea. Historic presidencies saw influential figures liaise with leaders like Dag Hammarskjöld, Trygve Lie, and Kofi Annan and interact with ministers from Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Presidents have guided adoption of landmark resolutions such as those creating peacekeeping operations after the Yugoslav Wars and sanctions regimes tied to resolutions on Iran and North Korea.
Ceremonial tasks include presenting the Council’s annual statements to the General Assembly, hosting high-level briefings attended by heads of state from Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Germany, and Canada, and receiving credentials from new Permanent Representatives. The president represents the Council in meetings with leaders of multilateral organizations including the African Union Commission, the European Commission, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of American States, and may preside over themed debates on issues championed by states like Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Finland.
Critics argue the monthly rotation grants limited continuity, complicating responses to protracted crises involving actors like Hezbollah, Al-Shabaab, ISIS, and Taliban, and cite controversies when presidents from states such as Venezuela, Russia, or China use procedural tools to delay resolutions on human rights allegations in Myanmar, Sudan, or Eritrea. Debates over agenda-setting have involved lobbying by coalitions including the G77, Non-Aligned Movement, and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and raised questions about influence from national capitals in Beijing, Washington, D.C., Moscow, London, and Paris on the impartiality of the presidency. Category:United Nations Security Council