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Picture Credit: XinhuaHow the Security Council Works
The Security Council is part parliament, part secret diplomatic conclave. Its procedures and working methods can be puzzling and mysterious. While the Council votes on its decisions in public meetings, it spends much of its time in private informal consultations, where ambassadors discuss, negotiate, persuade and pressure their colleagues, far from television crews and newspaper reporters and beyond the view of the rest of the UN's member states as well. This page provides information on the methods of work and procedures of the Security Council. It also links to Council resolutions and documents.
Also See GPF's Pages on:
Security Council
Program of Work (September: Burkina Faso's Presidency)
See the daily schedule of work of the Security Council for the month.Glossary of Council Meetings
A concise definitional list of the different types of meetings of the Council - includes a section on informal consultations. Prepared up by the Mission of Singapore to the UN.Informal Consultations
Though the Council votes on its decisions in public meetings, it does much of its work in closed informal consultations.Missions
From time to time, Council members travel to crisis areas on special missions to gather information and to negotiate directly with key parties. Some missions have a large impact on events.Resolutions and Documents
UN documentation center provides access to Security Council resolutions by year, presidential statements, letters, press releases, mission reports and SG reports. SC Resolutions for 2008Presidential Press Statements
Links to press statements by Security Council presidents. For press statements prior to 2001, click here.Presidential Assessments
Links to monthly reports by Security Council Presidencies. For reports prior to 2001, click here.Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council
Posted by the UN's Department of Political Affairs, the “Repertoire” is the only analytical record of the practices of the Security Council. It includes the Provisional Rules of Procedure.Tables and Charts on the Council
Many original tables and charts on meetings, consultations, resolutions, presidential statements, vetoes, sanctions committees and peacekeeping.
