Switzerland to "democratise" UN Security Council

The Swiss Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it submitted proposals for improving the working methods of the Security Council. The proposals are in cooperation with the five members of the "Small 5" (S-5) group at the United Nations, which includes Costa Rica, Jordan, Singapore Liechtenstein and Switzerland", said the Swiss foreign ministry in a press release. Switzerland said that "the aim is to make the UN's most powerful organ more open, transparent and efficient, and to include the other UN member states more closely in its deliberations. The reform of the Security Council in the direction of the "democratisation" of its working methods is one of the focal points of Switzerland's UN policy". An overwhelming majority of UN member states are not represented in the Security Council, but all member states are obliged to implement its decisions. In a reference to the S-5 initiative, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), stressed: "For this reason there is a legitimate concern to be better informed about the Council's decision-making and to have the possibility to be included in it. This demand is in line with Swiss policy on the UN, which gives priority to institutional reforms and human security for the coming years." In addition, more transparency and the inclusion of non-members would result in better implementation of the Council's decisions by UN members. Thus, the S-5's proposals would also make the Security Council more efficient and strengthen its ability to carry out its mandate of ensuring peace and security throughout the world. Together with Costa Rica, Jordan, Singapore and Liechtenstein, Switzerland proposes that the Security Council make more of its meetings public and thus accessible to non-members. In particular, those states that are affected by conflict situations and those that provide troops for peacekeeping operations should be more closely involved in the Council's decision-making. In addition, the S-5 is asking for limits to be placed on the use of the veto right in the Security Council. Specifically the five permanent members should renounce the use of the veto in cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The other UN member states were informally consulted on the reform proposals prior to their submission. Having received mostly positive responses, the S-5 submitted the proposals on Wednesday in the form of an official draft resolution to the General Assembly in New York. In the coming weeks, the draft resolution will be debated and decided upon. A General Assembly resolution is not binding on the Security Council but nevertheless creates political pressure. An earlier draft resolution submitted by the S-5 in 2006 led to a number of improvements in the Security Council's working methods. For example, more open debates were introduced and a more intensive exchange was developed with other UN bodies such as the Peace building Commission. The reform efforts of the S-5 focus on concrete and pragmatic steps designed to improve the work of the Security Council and cooperation with the General Assembly. Such changes can be made without the need to amend the UN Charter - in contrast to the "major" reform proposals on the composition and enlargement of the Security Council, which have been the subject of debate for 20 years but so far have failed to produce results.