S/PV.9927 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council will proceed to the consideration of its annual report to the General Assembly for the period from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024. The draft report has been provided to the members of the Council. The introduction to the draft report was prepared by the delegation of the Russian Federation, with the participation of the other members of the Council. The body of the report was prepared by the Secretariat. I would like to express my appreciation to the Russian Federation and the Secretariat for their respective contributions. I would like to point out that the draft report was prepared in accordance with the notes by the President of 13 December 2024 (S/2024/507). I now call on the representative of the Russian Federation, whose delegation was responsible for drafting the introduction to this year’s annual report.

The Russian Federation is presenting today the draft annual report of the Security Council to the General Assembly, the adoption of which, we hope, will be unanimously supported by all members of the Council. The draft report provides information about the measures taken by the Security Council in 2024 to maintain international peace and security. In accordance with Article 24 of the Charter of the United Nations, the Council performs those functions on behalf of all Member States. We firmly believe that the annual report is an important mechanism for keeping other Member States informed about our activities. The Russian delegation was tasked with coordinating the preparation of the text of the introduction to the draft report on the Security Council’s activities in 2024. From the outset, we sought to approach the work on this document in the most constructive and balanced way possible. Moreover, Security Council members had the opportunity to hear the views and proposals of all other Member States during the interactive dialogue that we organized together with the President of the General Assembly in January. We are pleased that, this year, we were able to complete negotiations on the introductory part in early February. We see that as being to the credit of all members of the Council. That outcome proves that the Security Council can collectively and proactively address the tasks assigned to it. Throughout our work on the draft introduction, our goal was to prepare a succinct summary of the main activities of the Council during the reporting period. In doing so, we were guided by the need to provide an opportunity for all Member States and stakeholders to obtain the clearest possible picture of the Security Council’s work in 2024. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who helped to prepare the draft report. Our gratitude also goes to the delegations of Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland, Ecuador and Japan, which were members of the Council in 2024. We are also grateful to the representatives of the Secretariat for their support in the process of preparing the report, in particular the staff of the Security Council Affairs Division of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, who were responsible for the preparation of the main part of the report. We thank them for their useful recommendations during the work on the text of the introduction. In the forthcoming debate in the General Assembly, we look forward to hearing the views of Member States on the annual report. I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.

I wish to raise a point on the draft annual report of the Security Council for 2024. When the full draft of the draft annual report was placed on the non-objection procedure prior to adoption, the delegation of Sierra Leone broke silence to draw the attention of Council members to the need for revision of the section concerning Western Sahara. That arose from a fundamental concern regarding factual inaccuracy in the presentation of the Council’s action. We have since engaged the Council members on the imperative to revise the section of the report that is factually inaccurate. Sierra Leone carefully considered the observations shared by colleagues concerning the procedural aspects of revisiting the draft report in the light of the inaccuracy that we highlighted. We fully appreciate the complexities involved and the importance of preserving the integrity of the Council’s work, including its reporting obligations. However, we must respectfully reiterate that the section concerning Western Sahara is not factually accurate in its presentation of the Council’s action — a concern that was acknowledged by a majority of Council members. As currently drafted, the paragraph in question attributes to the Council a political characterization or assessment that was neither formally adopted nor expressed through any agreed position. Such an attribution risks misrepresenting the record of the Council’s work and setting a precedent that, in our view, is equally, if not gravely, concerning. The matter therefore speaks directly to the credibility, neutrality and fidelity of the annual report, which must reflect the Council’s activities as they occurred and not as they are perceived through divergent political lenses. In that regard, we proposed a revision that would not have altered the substance of the Council’s action but would instead have ensured that the report accurately and neutrally reflected the factual decision adopted by the Council, namely, the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara by resolution 2756 (2024). The proposed revision would have removed language reflecting the views of not more than two delegations, which now risk being misinterpreted as a consensus political assessment — an assessment that the Council did not reach. Sierra Leone remains committed to the principle of consensus and to upholding the procedural integrity of the Council’s reporting processes. At the same time, we believe that that integrity cannot be preserved where a material misstatement is left uncorrected. We therefore joined the consensus on the adoption of the draft report in its current form solely to preserve the integrity of the silence procedure. However, we must formally dissociate ourselves from the impugned section of the draft report. We have conveyed our concerns to the presidency in writing and have copied the President of the General Assembly. We remain open to further consultations in the spirit of our shared commitment to the accurate and impartial documentation of the Council’s work.

We regret that the delegation of Sierra Leone has taken issue with the draft report. As the drafters of the introduction, we would like to recall that that section was discussed in detail for a long period, and all delegations had the opportunity to raise their concerns. As I already said today, we approached the agreement on the document as constructively as possible. Guided by a responsible approach, my delegation held several rounds of bilateral and multilateral consultations with a view to reaching consensus. We took into account all the comments received from delegations at the time, with maximum flexibility. Our efforts were successful, and the document was agreed by consensus. The non-objection procedure for the introductory part of the text ended on 10 February. At that time, none of the members of the Security Council voiced any objections. It

The United States appreciates the approach and course of action of the Russian Federation during this process. We also acknowledge the delegation of Sierra Leone’s statement, concur with its conclusions and could also support its approach.

I would also like to align myself with some of the comments made by the delegation of Sierra Leone. We have also shared our comments on the draft report in writing. We believe that the comments on substance must be borne in mind, notably regarding factual accuracy. We do not understand why such comments should be rejected on the basis of procedural matters.

Allow me first of all to extend our delegation’s gratitude to the delegation of the Russian Federation for the work carried out since January on the draft annual report of the Security Council. Our thanks also go to all the members of the Council who contributed constructively throughout that period. Since the beginning of our term on the Security Council, Algeria has demonstrated steadfast commitment to upholding the Council’s rules of procedures and preserving the spirit of consensus, even when it pertains to outcomes that we ourselves have presented. Let me recall the significant moment during Algeria’s presidency when we chose to indefinitely postpone the adoption of a presidential statement on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States. Do members recall that moment? We chose that option rather than undermining the sacrosanct procedures of the Council. That principled stance continues to guide our approach today. Regarding that same example, during the closed consultations held on 17 January on the matter of the presidential statement, the very member who raised the point of order today — Sierra Leone — unequivocally stated at that time that “the non-objection procedure is the non-objection procedure”. At that time, that principle was firmly upheld and served as the basis for concluding discussions and preserving the integrity of our procedures. Are we now to believe that what was valid and sacrosanct then is suddenly negotiable today? Such a shift not only contradicts previously stated positions but also raises serious concerns about the consistency and reliability of our collective commitments. In conclusion, the silence procedure concluded on the adoption of the introduction of the draft report on 10 February, more than three months ago, signalled final approval in line with the established practice and procedures.

China commends Russia for its efforts in preparing the draft annual report of the Security Council. We commend Russia for its work. We would also like to thank all the relevant parties for their contributions. Considering that the draft introduction was adopted by consensus in February, we believe that we should respect procedural rules and established practices. That is why China hopes that we will not change the introduction.

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/2025/336.