S/2020/1167 Security Council

In accordance with the procedure agreed upon by the Members of the Security Council in light of the extraordinary circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as set out in the letter dated 27 March 2020 from the President of the Security Council addressed to all members of the Council (S/2020/253), I would like to draw your attention to the following. The members of the Council have discussed a draft resolution, submitted by South Africa, in connection with the agenda item “Maintenance of international peace and security”. That draft resolution has been put into blue (S/2020/1158, see enclosure). In my capacity as President of the Security Council, I hereby put the above- mentioned draft resolution to a vote. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period for this draft resolution will begin at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, 2 December 2020. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period will expire at 2 p.m. on Thursday, 3 December 2020. Please submit your vote (in favour, against, or abstain) on the draft resolution, as well as your possible explanation of vote, by sending the Director of the Security Council Affairs Division (SCAD/DPPA) in the United Nations Secretariat (egian@un.org) a letter signed by the Permanent Representative or Chargé d’affaires within the non-extendable 24-hour voting period set out above. It is my intention to circulate a letter listing the outcome of the vote within three hours of the conclusion of the 24-hour voting period. I also intend to convene a video teleconference of the Security Council to announce the outcome of the vote shortly after the conclusion of the voting period, on the afternoon of Thursday, 3 December 2020.

Belgium commends the work undertaken by the South African delegation in its efforts to promote security sector reform. Security sector reform is an important topic that merits a thorough and exhaustive discussion among Security Council members, within an appropriate time frame. Belgium wants to reiterate that fully inclusive and gender-sensitive security sector reform processes, taking into account all segments of society and taking into account women and youth, are a conditio sine qua non for sustainable peace. Belgium also wants to reiterate that security sector reform plays a crucial role in all phases of conflict, from conflict prevention to peacebuilding. Adequate, predictable and sustainable funding and thorough coordination of all security sector reform activities are key to deliver an efficient and effective security sector reform.

We share concerns regarding the process and penholding ahead of this resolution’s tabling, falling short of the standards of Council practice. Since little time was given for negotiating this text, Germany would like to clarify in particular one point with regard to language on the Peacebuilding Fund. Germany would like to recall that, based on the Secretary-General’s report dated 22 August 2006 and entitled “Arrangements for establishing the Peacebuilding Fund” (A/60/984), which the General Assembly took note of in resolution 60/287, the Peacebuilding Fund is an instrument of the Secretary-General and is managed under his authority. While Germany continues to see great merit in providing voluntary support to security sector reform and governance efforts as an element of sustainable peacebuilding efforts, resolution 2553 (2020) does not affect the Secretary-General’s prerogative and authority in the management of the Fund.

The United Kingdom believes firmly in the importance of national and international engagement on security sector reform (SSR), as reflected in our national statement during the Security Council open debate of 3 December. We welcome the intent of the penholder to update resolution 2151 (2014) to reflect progress in the development of normative and operational frameworks on SSR, which now includes emphasis on wider efforts to reinforce the rule of law to support sustaining peace. While we are sufficiently content to vote in favour of resolution 2553 (2020), due to the importance of its subject matter, we wish to highlight the following concerns that have led us to qualify our support. First, the process of penholding ahead of this resolution’s tabling fell far short of the expectations and standards of Council practice. The compressed timeline, lack of rigour and inadequate time for proper negotiations are now, unfortunately, reflected in the product, which in places lacks clarity and does little to take forward the normative and operational framework of security sector reform. Secondly, we know from many years of seeing and supporting SSR around the world that, to be successful and sustainable, it must be inclusive and participatory. International support must also be coherent and support inclusion and accountability. It is unfortunate that the current text does not sufficiently reflect this. We would like to make clear that the United Kingdom will continue to interpret the content of this resolution as meaning that international security sector reform efforts should be delivered in full accordance with the principles of women’s empowerment and gender equality set out in resolution 1325 (2000) and all other relevant resolutions on women and peace and security. International security sector reform efforts should be delivered in accordance with the principles of inclusion set out in resolution 2282 (2016), on peacebuilding and sustaining peace. National ownership and leadership of security sector reforms should not preclude legitimate external monitoring of the implementation of those reforms. United Nations missions, where and as mandated, can play an important role in helping to improve the coordination and delivery of SSR by working in partnership with country teams. The United Nations system should continue to prioritize earlier joint planning between missions and country teams to ensure greater coherence and sustainability of SSR activity so that, with funding from the donor community — including, where appropriate, the Peacebuilding Fund — delivery continues during and after a mission’s presence, without interruption.