I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the members of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group (ACT) group, a cross-regional group of States working to strengthen the Security Council’s efficiency, accountability and inclusiveness.
President,
Effective working methods are not a procedural luxury. They are essential to the Council’s ability to discharge its responsibilities under the Charter. As Article 24 reminds us, the Council acts on behalf of the entire United Nations membership. How it conducts its work is therefore of relevance and concern to us all.
Allow me to focus on four areas.
First, the Council’s subsidiary bodies. ACT remains concerned by the delay in appointing Chairs and Vice-Chairs. Subsidiary bodies are indispensable to implementing the Council’s mandates, and leaving them without agreed leadership undermines continuity, effectiveness and the Council’s credibility.
ACT has repeatedly raised this concern along with others. We appreciate the efforts of successive Council Presidencies to serve as caretakers, but temporary arrangements cannot become the norm. The past two years have demonstrated that current arrangements are insufficient to guarantee timely appointments. ACT therefore calls for a review and strengthening of paragraphs 124 to 129 of Note 507, including clearer timelines and effective contingency arrangements when consensus cannot be reached.
ACT encourages the Council to reinforce 1 October as a genuine deadline and establish a clear fallback mechanism, including by considering how to ensure the effective functioning of subsidiary bodies in the event of disagreement. This could include allowing outgoing Chairs and Vice-Chairs to continue temporarily, or assume caretaker responsibilities until agreement is reached.
Second, the selection and appointment of the next Secretary-General. ACT has consistently advocated for a process that is fair, transparent, inclusive and conducted on an equal basis for all candidates. Transparency does not weaken the Council’s role; it strengthens the legitimacy of its recommendation to the General Assembly.
While we recognise some progress this year, including greater clarity around the timing of the first straw poll, we continue to encourage a more cohesive and structured relationship between the timing of nominations, General Assembly dialogues, and the Council’s consideration of candidates in order to promote a more fair, transparent, and inclusive process.
Practices reflecting this should be institutionalised rather than reinvented with each selection process. For example, greater transparency around straw polls. ACT has previously called for regular updates from the Council President and official announcement of results. Given that informal results quickly enter the public domain in an unverified manner, a structured approach to communicating results could enhance transparency while avoiding uncertainty and undue pressure on individual Council members or the Presidency.
We also encourage sustained and structured communication between the Presidents of the Security Council and General Assembly. The Secretary-General serves the entire membership, and the Charter assigns important and complementary roles to both organs.
ACT encourages the Council to conclude its consideration of candidacies and make its recommendation no later than 1 October 2026, and suggest to the General Assembly more than one candidate for its consideration.
Third, the Council should continue testing ways to rebuild trust among its members. Council interactions increasingly take place through formal meetings and prepared statements. These have their place, but diplomacy also requires space to listen, explore ideas and understand one another’s positions.
ACT therefore encourages more regular informal exchanges among Council members, including informal lunches, fireside discussions and, where appropriate, exchanges with the Secretary-General. The Council could also consider periodic retreats away from Headquarters, without prepared statements, to enable more candid and substantive discussion.
Fourth, the Council must strengthen its relationship with the wider UN membership. This means more systematic engagement with countries directly affected by Council decisions, meaningful and timely consultations with troop- and police-contributing countries, and more regular dialogue with the Peacebuilding Commission.
It also means making effective use of Arria-formula meetings, strengthening exchanges with the General Assembly and ECOSOC, and ensuring the Council hears relevant perspectives from across the UN system, including from the human rights pillar.
President,
Working methods are not only about procedures; ultimately, they are also about behaviour. A more transparent, inclusive and effective Council requires members to engage earlier, listen more closely, negotiate in good faith, demonstrate flexibility and rebuild trust.
Note 507 provides an important framework, but frameworks only work when implemented and when they are regularly updated to reflect current realities and challenges. The Council has an important responsibility to act on behalf of the entire membership, which its working methods should reflect.