United Nations

NEW YORK, 31 August (UN Headquarters) – This afternoon, the Security Council adopted its fifty-fifth annual report to the General Assembly, which covers the period 16 June 1999 to 15 June 2000.  The report, a guide to the Council's activities during that 12-month period, will be submitted to the Assembly in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Charter.

 During the year under review, the Council held 144 formal meetings, adopted 57 resolutions and issued 38 statements by the President.  In addition, Council members held 194 consultations of the whole, totaling some 394 hours.  The Council considered over 85 reports of the Secretary-General and reviewed and processed more than 1,165 documents and communications from States and regional and other intergovernmental organizations.

 Part I of the report deals with questions considered by the Security Council under its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.  In open meetings, members devoted much of their attention to the continued conflicts in Africa and the Middle East as well as the humanitarian situations in Kosovo, East Timor and Afghanistan.  The Council also devoted several meetings to items related to the International Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

 In addition, during the United States presidency, Council members devoted much of the entire month of January to meetings and discussions on Africa. During this "month of Africa", the Council heard statements from a diverse group of speakers who addressed members on, among other important issues, the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS on sub-Saharan populations.  In the same month it also discussed issues that ranged from the deteriorating situation in countries such as Angola, Ethiopia and Eritrea, to the overthrow of the democratically-elected Government in Sierra Leone. 

 Part II of the report deals with other matters considered by the Council, such as the admission of new members and the election of new members to the International Court of Justice.  Part III covers the work of the Military Staff Committee, while Part IV lists communications on matters brought to the Council's attention but not discussed during the reporting period.  The Council also addressed matters relating to its working methods and procedure.

 Part V reviews the work of the subsidiary organs of the Council.  During the period in review, the Council Committee concerning the situation between Iraq and Kuwait worked in close cooperation with the Office of the Iraq Programme to ensure the effective implementation of all relevant arrangements under the “oil-for-food” programme.  Other subsidiary organs which were active during this time included:  the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission and the Security Council Committees concerning Somalia, Angola, Rwanda and Afghanistan. 

 Regarding the Council's membership, the report recalls that on 14 October, 1999, the General Assembly elected Bangladesh, Jamaica, Mali, Tunisia and Ukraine to fill vacancies resulting from the expiration on 31 December 1999 of the terms of office of Bahrain, Brazil, Gabon, Gambia and Slovenia. 

 Introducing the draft report, Ibrahima Fall, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, said its format provided a concise guide of the Council’s activities.  In addition to the extensive coverage provided in part V, on the work of the Council's subsidiary organs, the annual reports of the sanctions committees were to be found in appendix XII of the report.

Further, he said, statements to the press made by the Council President following consultations of the whole had been annexed to the monthly assessments prepared by the former Presidents.  The Department of Political Affairs had circulated the draft report to members of the Council on 21 August.  Since then a number of amendments had been proposed.

 The meeting, which began at 2.13 p.m., adjourned at 2.17 p.m.