Security Council holds first public meeting to evaluate past month's work

The United Nations Security Council, whose presidency rotates on a monthly basis, held today the first-ever open "wrap-up" meeting designed to evaluate the past month's work.

Opening the meeting, the Council President for the month of June, Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury of Bangladesh, said the past few weeks had been both difficult and productive. In addition to discussing major conflict areas, the Council had held a daylong debate on the first-ever report of the Secretary-General on the prevention of armed conflict. Ambassador Chowdhury, who is the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN, said his country was preparing a draft resolution on the issue to submit to the Council for adoption next month.

"One aspect which came up time and again in our deliberations was how decisions are translated into action," he said, stressing that the Secretary-General must be given resources to implement the Council's decisions. He also called for reflecting on how follow-up on the issues could be carried out "not as routine calendar events but as conscious policy decisions to pursue them in a proactive manner."

He welcomed this month's trip by a 15-member Council delegationto the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including Kosovo, as part of the body's ongoing effort to visit conflict areas. June also saw the adoption of a major resolution on the Council's relationship with troop-contributing countries, which served to refine and strengthen that relationship.

Ambassador Chowdhury also pointed out that the Council should pay greater attention to its relations with the media and the public. "We should make efforts to see that the Council's work receives the attention of the world outside," he said.

During the discussion that followed, Council members congratulated Secretary-General Kofi Annan on his re-election and lauded Ambassador Chowdhury for the efficient and transparent manner in which he had conducted his work as Council President. They offered suggestions about transmitting Council decisions and resolutions to those for whom they were intended. Many underscored the importance of sending Council missions to conflict areas and of the debate on the prevention of armed conflict.