Letter from the Executive Board

Greetings delegates,

It is with immense pleasure that we welcome you to this simulation of the United Nations
Security Council (UNSC) at Rotary Forum of Diplomacy, 2025. The United Nations Charter
gives primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security to the Security
Council, which may meet whenever peace is threatened. The agenda at hand, Reforms to the
Security Council, is of crucial importance in assessing one of the most significant organs of the
UN.

Through this agenda, delegates are invited to examine not only the historical foundations and
institutional design of the Council, but also the contemporary challenges it faces in dealing with
shifting global dynamics. Attached below, the delegates can find a letter from the Presidency to
the Secretary-General, which conveys the intent of the Presidency, as held by the Executive
Board, in introducing this agenda item, as well as a concept note that the delegates are to treat as
the Background Guide for this particular simulation, through which they can gain an
understanding of the thematic aspects of the reforms agenda at hand. Delegates are expected to
go much beyond the contents of the attached letter and concept note in their research and depth
of understanding, and to develop perspectives that will contribute positively to the discussions of
the Council.

Throughout the simulation, delegates are expected to engage in thoughtful debate, respectful
negotiation, and principled diplomacy. The Executive Board is committed to ensuring a fair and
intellectually stimulating committee experience and look forward to your full participation in the
proceedings. The Dias is always open to addressing any queries, so rest assured and prepare well,
wishing you all the best for the simulation.

Warm regards,

Abhinav Das, President of the Council

Soumodip Adhikary, USG - Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Ishika Mandal, Director - Security Council Affairs Division

United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

Rotary Forum of Diplomacy, 2026
 United Nations

Security Council
Distr.: General​
1 January, 2026​

Original: English

Letter dated 1 January 2026 from the Permanent Representative of

Somalia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to inform you that, under the presidency of Somalia, the Security Council
plans to hold an open debate on 31 January 2026 on the theme “Reforms to the Security
Council” in connection with the item entitled “Maintenance of International Peace and Security”.

In this regard, Somalia has prepared a concept note (see annex). I should be grateful if the
present letter and its annex could be circulated as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Abukar Dahir Osman

Permanent Representative of Somalia
to the United Nations
Annex to the letter dated 1 January 2025 from the Permanent
Representative of Somalia to the United Nations addressed to the
Secretary-General

Concept note for the Security Council open debate on “Reforms to

the Security Council”, 31 January 2025

Background

As conflicts deepen and proliferate, humanitarian suffering continues to grow, and

geopolitical divisions, instances of non-compliance with international obligations, and the
non-implementation of Security Council resolutions increasingly strain the foundations of
multilateral cooperation. In this environment, the Council’s ability to fulfil its primary
responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security rests on its capacity to act
in a timely and effective manner, while ensuring that its deliberations and decisions are
conducted with a degree of transparency and inclusiveness that fosters confidence and
broad-based support among the wider membership of the United Nations.

Article 24 of the Charter of the United Nations assigns primary responsibility for the
maintenance of international peace and security to the Security Council and affirms that, in the
performance of this responsibility, the Council acts on behalf of the entire membership of the
Organization, while Article 25 provides that Member States agree to accept and carry out the
Council’s decisions in accordance with the Charter. In this context, the manner in which the
Security Council conducts its work and arrives at its decisions remains of direct relevance to all
Member States, and continued efforts to ensure that its practices are transparent, efficient and
inclusive are essential to enabling the Council to respond to threats to international peace and
security in a timely, coherent and comprehensive manner.

At the request of the Security Council, the Informal Working Group on Documentation and
Other Procedural Questions has, on an ongoing basis, considered ways to refine and strengthen
the Council’s practices, with these deliberations resulting in the issuance of successive notes by
the President of the Security Council to address identified procedural needs. Since the adoption
of the presidential note of 2017 (S/2017/507, commonly referred to as “note 507”), a total of 17
presidential notes have been adopted, reflecting the cumulative efforts of the Council to codify,
update and consolidate agreed practices guiding the conduct of its work.
 The Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions has
continued to play a central role in examining the application and further development of the
Council’s established practices. Following the initial exchanges held in January 2024 on the need
to consolidate and update the note by the President of 2017 (S/2017/507), the Working Group
remained actively engaged throughout 2025 in reviewing implementation experience and
considering how the updated compilation of agreed practices reflected in the note by the
President of 13 December 2024 (S/2024/507) has been applied in practice. During this period,
the Working Group met on several occasions to assess issues related to documentation,
participation, drafting practices, the functioning of subsidiary organs, and other procedural
questions arising from the Council’s day-to-day work, including in the context of preparations
for the annual open debate on the implementation of the note. These discussions have
contributed to a shared understanding among Council members of areas where existing practices
have facilitated effective action, as well as aspects that may warrant further refinement in light of
evolving demands on the Council.

Against a fragile global backdrop marked by armed conflict and threats of an existential
nature, expectations of the Security Council remain high, both within the United Nations and
among the wider international community. At the same time, complex political dynamics, both
globally and within the Council itself, have contributed to growing divisions and a degree of
mistrust that have constrained the Council’s ability to meet these expectations and to discharge
effectively its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.

These dynamics have been reflected in observable shifts in Council practice, including an
increase in procedural votes, a higher incidence of non-unanimous decisions, and the continued
and, at times, unrestrained use of the veto, which has impeded Council action on issues that pose
serious challenges to international peace and security. Parallel divisions have also emerged with
respect to the use of sanctions as an instrument for conflict prevention and resolution, as well as
regarding the modalities for the participation of civil society representatives in Council meetings,
further illustrating the strains affecting the Council’s capacity to act cohesively.

Throughout 2025, the Security Council has continued to confront a range of issues affecting
the conduct of its work, including the delayed allocation of Chairs and Vice-Chairs of subsidiary
bodies, an increase in the number of urgent and unscheduled meetings, the recurrent use of the
veto, and ongoing exchanges concerning drafting practices and the participation of non-Council
members. These developments have underscored the cumulative pressures on the Council’s
procedures and modes of engagement. Looking ahead, such questions are expected to persist,
alongside additional matters of institutional significance, including issues related to forthcoming
leadership transitions within the United Nations, notably the process for the selection of the next
Secretary-General.
 The Council’s internal practices also shape its interaction with other principal organs of the
United Nations. While the General Assembly retains a central role in deliberative and normative
processes, and the Economic and Social Council addresses the economic and social dimensions
of peace and security, coordination across the system has often been uneven. The Peacebuilding
Commission, envisaged as a bridge between the Security Council, the General Assembly and
ECOSOC, has offered avenues for enhanced coherence, yet its advisory role remains
underutilised in practice. Strengthening institutional interaction, while respecting the distinct
mandates of each organ, has therefore remained an enduring consideration.

Another salient aspect of the Council’s functioning concerns drafting practices and the
distribution of responsibilities in the preparation of outcome documents. Informal arrangements
related to penholdership and co-penholdership have become an established feature of Council
practice. While these arrangements have contributed to efficiency, they have also prompted
reflections on inclusivity, participation, and the extent to which all Council members are able to
contribute meaningfully to the shaping of decisions from an early stage.

Sanctions regimes, in particular, have continued to attract attention in light of their expanding
number and scope. The Council’s experience with sanctions has highlighted challenges related to
administrative burden, coherence across regimes, and the balance between enforcement
objectives and broader humanitarian considerations. The manner in which sanctions committees
conduct their work, including listing and delisting procedures, engagement with Member States,
and interaction with Panels of Experts, has implications for both the credibility of sanctions
measures and the Council’s broader authority.

Notwithstanding persistent criticism, the Security Council and its members have continued to
rely on established practices to ensure the continuity of the Council’s work in times of crisis,
including during the coronavirus disease pandemic. These practices have enabled the Council to
maintain its activities through adapted meeting formats, to provide regular oral and written
briefings on the work of each presidency, to submit its annual report to the General Assembly
within the prescribed timeframe, and to facilitate the early familiarization of newly elected
members with Council proceedings prior to the commencement of their mandates. At the same
time, experience has demonstrated that implementation and compliance with agreed practices
have remained uneven.

In this regard, the wider United Nations membership continues to play an important role in
calling for more consistent application of agreed practices and in advancing proposals aimed at
improving their effectiveness. While Article 30 of the Charter of the United Nations affirms the
Security Council’s authority to determine its own rules of procedure, many of the Council’s
established practices have evolved over time in response to sustained engagement, expectations
and proposals emanating from the broader membership, reflecting an ongoing interaction
between the Council and the wider United Nations system.

Guiding Questions

●​ In light of the difficulties encountered in the appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs of

subsidiary bodies for 2025, how could the process set out in paragraphs 124 to 129 of the
presidential note S/2024/507 on the selection of Chairs of subsidiary bodies be further
strengthened? What concrete challenges or factors have contributed to delays in the
selection process, and what measures could be taken to ensure a more equitable,
transparent, timely and fair allocation of Chair and Vice-Chair responsibilities?

In 2023, Security Council presidencies increasingly sought written input from the
Peacebuilding Commission on both country- and region-specific situations, as well as on
thematic issues. Notwithstanding this development, direct participation by the President of the
General Assembly or by the President of the Economic and Social Council in the work of the
Security Council has remained infrequent.

●​ How is the practice of requesting and receiving written advice from the Peacebuilding
Commission assessed to date? What additional steps could be taken to further integrate
the Commission’s advisory role into the work of the Security Council?
●​ What further measures could the Security Council and its President consider in order to
sustain regular communication, and to strengthen coordination, cooperation and
interaction among the principal organs of the United Nations?

In April 2022, the General Assembly adopted resolution 76/262 with a view to strengthening
accountability in instances where vetoes are cast in the Security Council. Pursuant to that
resolution, the Council has since submitted four special reports to the General Assembly. In
parallel, and with limited exceptions, Security Council presidencies have convened so-called
“wrap-in” and “wrap-up” meetings, with the latter often conducted in an interactive “Toledo
format”.

●​ How is the mechanism established under General Assembly resolution 76/262 assessed in
terms of its effectiveness in enhancing accountability?
●​ What additional aspects of the Security Council’s communication and engagement with
the wider membership, if any, could be further strengthened?
 ●​ How can existing practices of the Security Council be applied or further developed to
promote greater transparency, accountability and restraint in the use of the veto,
particularly in situations where Council action is required to address threats to
international peace and security?

Following the resumption of normal working modalities in 2023 after the COVID-19
pandemic, the Security Council reinstated open debates with broad participation by the wider
membership. While such debates provide an important platform for inclusivity, concerns have
increasingly been raised regarding their length and the limited tangible outcomes they produce.
In this regard, paragraph 43 of note 507 reaffirms the Council’s commitment to improving the
focus and interactivity of its open debates.

●​ What steps could the Council take to enhance the efficiency and impact of its open
debates, and what additional avenues might be considered to strengthen the participation
of the wider membership in the Council’s work beyond this format?

●​ How can existing practices of the Security Council be further developed to support the
preservation and transmission of institutional knowledge, particularly for elected
members, in order to promote continuity and informed participation across the Council’s
formal and informal work, taking into account the differing levels of experience among
Council members?
●​ In light of the growing number and complexity of sanctions regimes, how can the
functioning of sanctions committees be further strengthened to ensure greater efficiency,
transparency and consistency in the implementation of Council-mandated measures?
What steps could be taken to enhance the effectiveness of committee working methods,
including with respect to the allocation of responsibilities, information-sharing, and
engagement with relevant stakeholders, while taking into account humanitarian
considerations and the impact of sanctions on civilian populations?
●​ How might the practices of the Security Council be further refined to strengthen
transparency and inclusivity, particularly in light of forthcoming institutional processes,
including the selection of the next Secretary-General in 2026?
Format

Open debate, held in connection with the item entitled “Maintenance of international peace
and security”​
​

Briefers
●​ Deputy Secretary General, United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed
●​ President, United Nations General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock
●​ President, United Nations Economic and Social Council, Lok Bahadur Thapa
For Further Reference:

UNSC RCFOD Relevant Documents