Security Council meeting 6007

The President

The Security Council will now proceed to the consideration of its annual report to the General Assembly, for the period from 1 August 2007 to 31 July 2008.

Members of the Council have before them the draft report. The introduction to the draft report was prepared by the delegation of Viet Nam, as President of the Council in July 2008, with the participation of other members of the Council and the immediate past members of the Council. The body of the report was prepared by the Secretariat. I should like to express appreciation to Viet Nam and the Secretariat for their respective contributions.

I should like to point out that the format of the draft report now before the Council corresponds to the relevant provisions contained in the notes by the President of 19 July 2006 (S/2006/507) and 19 December 2007 (S/2007/749).

I now give the floor to the representative of Viet Nam in his capacity as head of the delegation responsible for drafting the introduction to this year's annual report.

Mr. Le Luong Minh (Viet Nam)

As you and the other members of the Council are aware, Mr. President, the General Assembly will discuss the annual report of the Security Council in early November. To give United Nations Members enough time to study the report before they discuss it at the General Assembly, early submission of the report by the Council is important. I thank you for convening this timely meeting.

As President of the Council for the month of July 2008, Viet Nam was charged with the task of preparing the introduction to the 2008 annual report of the Council to the General Assembly. The draft report covers the work of the Council during the period from 1 August 2007 to 31 July 2008. The introductory part of the report that we prepared provides insights into how the Council addressed a wide array of issues in another year of its intensive work, reflecting the Council's achievements and situations and circumstances in which it was unable to take action. In every case, we have tried to reflect the general views expressed by Council members.

In the course of developments in conflicts and disputes in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Balkans, the introduction elaborates on regular briefings by the Secretariat, interventions by countries and/or parties concerned, communications with troop-contributing countries and follow-up deliberations and actions of the Council to respond to the situations under review.

A large part of the introduction is devoted to general issues, ranging from terrorism, the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the protection of civilians in armed conflict, children and armed conflict and women and peace and security to the work of subsidiary organs of the Council, such as the sanctions Committees, the Working Group on Documentation and the Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations. Coordination and cooperation with other principal organs of the United Nations, as well as the evolving role of regional and subregional organizations, have also been highlighted, as appropriate.

Over the past few years, the complexity and multidimensional character of the international situation have created ever-increasing demand for United Nations conflict prevention, mediation and resolution, peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities. Against that backdrop, the Security Council has faced increasingly complex responsibilities in shouldering its noble mission of maintaining international peace and security.

In order to better reflect the increased role and involvement of the Council under challenging circumstances, the quality of its annual report to the General Assembly should be further consolidated in all related aspects. Such incremental improvements, we believe, have the potential not only to strengthen the perception of and contributions from the wider membership of the United Nations and other relevant stakeholders in the work of the Council, but also to enhance the Council's authority and efficiency in discharging its mandates.

Towards that end, my delegation maintains that there is scope to develop the July presidency's consultations with not only Council members but also the United Nations membership at large in the process of outlining and finalizing the annual report.

It was based on that perception and our desire to contribute to enhancing the openness, transparency and efficiency of the work of the Council with a view to enabling the Council to better perform its important and noble mission of maintaining international peace and security that we convened an informal meeting at the very end of our presidency to update United Nations Member States on the preparation of the annual report and to seek their views and suggestions, which did help to make the draft report that Council members have before them today more analytical, balanced and substantive. As a way of appreciating their valuable contributions and further improving the quality of the annual reports of the Council to the General Assembly, I humbly offer this experience to future July presidents.

In the process of preparing the draft report, my delegation enjoyed not only effective cooperation, but also, indeed, valuable support and assistance from all members and former members of the Council and from the Secretariat. The draft report contains and otherwise reflects many of their contributions. On behalf of my delegation, I wish to take this opportunity to express to them our most sincere appreciation and gratitude.

The President

There are no further speakers on my list. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the adoption of its annual report.

May I take it that the draft report is adopted by the Council?

There being no objection, it is so decided.

This decision will be reflected in a note by the President of the Security Council to be issued as document S/2008/678.

The Security Council has thus concluded its consideration of the item on its agenda.