S/PV.8021 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council will now proceed to the consideration of its annual report to the General Assembly, for the period from 1 August 2015 to 31 December 2016. The draft report has been provided to the members of the Council. The introduction to the draft report was prepared by the delegation of Japan, as President of the Council in July 2016, with the participation of the other members of the Council. The body of the report was prepared by the Secretariat. I should like to express my appreciation to Japan and to the Secretariat for their respective contributions. I should like to point out that the draft report was prepared in accordance with the notes by the President of 26 July 2010 (S/2010/507) and of 10 December 2015 (S/2015/944). I now give the floor to the representative of Japan, whose delegation was responsible for drafting the introduction to this year’s annual report.

We are delighted to present the draft annual report of the Security Council to the General Assembly. I would like to express my appreciation to each and every Member State concerned for their spirit of cooperation and flexibility during the process of preparing the report. My appreciation also goes to the Secretariat, especially the Security Council Affairs Division, for their deep institutional knowledge and precious advice as we worked on the draft. As the President of the Security Council for the month of July 2016, Japan was responsible for coordinating the preparation of the introduction of the draft report. Implementing the note by the President of the Security Council of 10 December 2015 (S/2015/944), the draft report before the Council covers the period from 1 August 2015 to 31 December 2016. The 17-month coverage period is a transitional arrangement and, as stipulated in the presidential note, the period of coverage for all future reports shall be from 1 January to 31 December. The report includes key activities, meetings and decisions taken by the Security Council to maintain international peace and security during the reporting period on the items of which the Council is seized. In summarizing a wide array of Council activity over the period of 17 months, we intended to be as objective as possible, while making utmost efforts to describe the context in which the Council’s actions were taken, in order to enhance the transparency and accountability of the work of the Council. The draft report is the product of a rigorous coordination process. The report is a Council document and, in accordance with the note S/2015/944, the introduction should be approved by all members of the Council that served on the Council during the period covered by the report. Japan considers that the annual report forms an important part of the work of the Security Council, as required by Article 24 of the Charter of the United Nations, and hopes that this volume will be a useful reference for Council members, the wider membership, the Secretariat and all who serve the maintenance of international peace and security.

It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the adoption of the draft 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/2017/691.