77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Agenda item 27 Report of the Security Council
Statement of the Republic of Estonia
Delivered by H.E. Mr Rein Tammsaar
30 June 2023, New York
Mr President, Distinguished delegates,
I would first like to thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this meeting today. Many thanks to our Brazilian colleagues for coordinating the introduction of the Annual Report, to the Swiss Presidency of the month of May for guaranteeing a timely adoption at the Council, and the United Arab Emirates as the President of the Council for introducing the report today.
Estonia fully aligns with the statement by the ACT Group made earlier.
Firstly, I would like to commend the Council for a timely adoption of the Report and call to set a fixed timeline for the General Assembly discussion on the Annual Report as an internal deadline has been set for the Council itself in Note 507. It could be linked to the adoption at the Security Council – my first preference – or simply be agreed that the debate would have to take place no later than 30th of June. We strongly believe that this small step would enhance transparency and predictability of the process, not to mention benefitting smaller delegations in their preparations.
Secondly, it is obvious that a lot of work of the Council takes place behind closed doors, including the most acute discussions under AOB and in the subsidiary bodies. This lack of transparency is problematic as the wider UN membership is the constituent of the Council members. Estonia’s experience in the Security Council was that our efforts to move towards further transparency, either through proposing to publish the valuable reports by expert panels or drafting monthly assessments, were met with resistance. We call upon all members of the Council, both permanent and elected, to strive towards further transparency, including by properly reflecting the discussions under AOB in the Annual Report.
Thirdly, we believe it is crucial to include information in the Report on instances where the Council has been unable to act despite a clear need and a mandate. In 2022, a permanent member of the Security Council initiated a war of aggression against its peaceful neighbor. This is only one example of the many wars taking place in the world, but the scale of this aggression is something we have not seen since the Second World War. The Report states that the Council met 46 times last year to discuss matters related to Ukraine. It is brave to admit that four draft resolutions on Ukraine were not adopted by the Council. At the same time, it is a shame that only one PRST as Council product was adopted in addition to the ESS resolution. It proves once again that one P5 member was able to effectively paralyze the work of the Council in the most critical instances. Another example would be the DPRK where numerous draft proposals were tabled but never made it further. The veto initiative that recently celebrated its first anniversary is a big step forward in this regard. However, we call upon the members to refrain from abusing its veto right. In case of mass atrocities, including the crime of aggression, veto should not be used at all.
Fourthly, I would like to point out that only 23 States made a statement at the GA debate on the Council’s Annual Report last year. We encourage States to take full advantage of this opportunity as it is both our privilege and obligation to contribute to the enhancement of transparency and effectiveness of the work of the Council.
Last but not least, as we are already approaching the end of June, I would like to express hope that the lack of monthly assessments in 2023 only means that they will be published soon and in a thorough and analytical manner. Monthly assessments are an excellent tool of shedding light into Council dynamics that oftentimes gets watered down during the drafting of the official Report. We call on all Council members to take advantage of that tool.
Thank you.