Introduction by the Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations

It is my great pleasure to present this 2021 edition of the “Handbook on the Working Methods of the Security Council” (more commonly known as the “Green Book” to many in the United Nations community).

The Security Council is expected to meet two sometimes conflicting requirements: first, to make decisions that will ensure prompt and effective action to maintain international peace and security; and second, to gain the support of the wider United Nations membership for such Security Council decisions to be carried out. Enhancing the transparency, efficiency and inclusiveness of the working methods of the Security Council through meeting these requirements is crucial to the effective functioning of the Council.

In all these areas, the Security Council has made steady if insufficient progress. In 2006, the first Note 507 by the President of the Security Council (S/2006/507) was adopted as a compilation of the working methods of the Council, setting forth clearly the Council’s best practices without undermining the flexibility necessary to conduct the Council’s work. In 2010, the Council adopted the revised Note 507 (S/2010/507).

Japan assumed the chairmanship of the IWG during its 2016-2017 term on the Council. In 2017, the Council adopted the revised Note 507 (S/2017/507) which consolidated, streamlined and restructured the former Note 507 (S/2010/507) and all additional stand-alone Presidential Notes while containing important new elements such as the monthly program of work, informal consultations of the whole, the drafting of outcome documents, dialogue with non-Council members and bodies, and Security Council missions.

Significant progress since the end of 2017 culminated on 27 December 2019 when the Security Council adopted eight Notes by the President (S/2019/990-997) based on two years of negotiations in the IWG under the chairmanship of the State of Kuwait from 2018 to 2019. I would like express my heartfelt appreciation and respect to H.E. Mr. Mansour A. Al-Otaibi , Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait, and his team for their leadership and tireless work to achieve significant results in advancing the improvement of the Council’s working methods. The present revised 2021 Green Book contains these eight Notes, and, for better understanding of the relations between Note 507 (S/2017/507) and these eight notes, we provide footnotes attempting to identify the items in Note 507 (S/2017/507) which are affected or modified by these eight Notes.

In 2020, COVID-19 forced everyone at the United Nations to adapt their working methods. Japan commends the response by the Security Council in devising innovative and flexible working methods that have enabled the continuation of the work of the Council even under the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic. In revising the Green Book in 2020, we decided not to include such unique practices taken under the physical constraints imposed by COVID-19, since it may take more time for the members of the Security Council to arrive at a consensus view regarding the nature of such practices.

Improvement of the working methods of the Council does not end with the adoption of the Notes by the President. It is an ongoing process and a collective endeavor. And while codification of best practices is a useful exercise, it is not an end in itself. What is most important is the implementation and actual practice of the Security Council.

It is our desire that this Handbook will be utilized as a friendly guide to, and hopefully a useful material for further improvement of, the working methods for all those who participate in or observe the activities of the Security Council.

ISHIKANE Kimihiro
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations