UN Security Council Working Methods

  • Executive Director Statements

    Statements delivered by SCR's Executive Director at the annual Working Methods debate.

  • Penholders and Chairs

    The selection process for chairs of subsidiary bodies and the current penholders on issues on the agenda.

  • The Veto

    Beyond permanency itself, the veto power is probably the most significant distinction between permanent and non-permanent members in the UN Charter. Article 27 (3) of the Charter establishes that to be adopted, all substantive decisions of the Council must be made with “the concurring votes of the permanent members”.

  • Procedural Vote

    The voting procedure of the Security Council is governed by Article 27 of the UN Charter and Rule 40 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure. Article 27 provides that decisions of the Security Council are made by an affirmative vote of nine members, whereas each member has one vote. The Charter distinguishes, however, between votes on “procedural matters” and votes on “all other matters”.

  • Arria-formula Meetings

    Arria-formula meetings are informal meetings convened at the initiative of a member or members of the Security Council in order to gather information from individuals or organisations with knowledge of developments on the ground.

  • Informal Interactive Dialogue

    Innovation and adaptability have been among the distinctive features of the Security Council. Some innovations take time to develop; some are invented literally on the spot. The informal interactive dialogue format is one of the working methods that emerged quite quickly. In this table we seek to compile all informal interactive dialogues to date, based on the sources mentioned above and interviews conducted by SCR.

  • Security Council Visiting Missions

    A visiting mission has been a tool the Council has used for a number of purposes, including preventive diplomacy, gathering first-hand information, supporting peace processes and mediation. Until the end of the Cold War, the Council undertook fewer than a dozen missions; in the period since, a visiting mission has become a more frequent working method.

  • Security Council Annual Report to the General Assembly

    Under Article 24(3) of the UN Charter, the Security Council must submit an annual report to the General Assembly for its consideration.