Statement by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, on the Report of the Security Council - June 25th, 2024

Mr. President,

I thank you for convening this session. It is a timely opportunity for the wider membership of the United Nations to discuss the work of the Security Council. This practice contributes to enhancing the transparency and accountability of the body primarily responsible for peace and security towards all member states.

We concur with other delegations on the importance of increasing the Council’s interaction with other United Nations bodies, including the Peacebuilding Commission, currently chaired by Brazil.

I also thank and commend the United Kingdom for drafting the introduction to this annual report. In spite of the poor record in decisions on critical dossiers, such as Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, this report gives us a measure of the intensity of our work in 2023 – a work of which Brazil is proud to have been a part.

With that experience fresh in mind, Brazil shares the frustration of other delegations at the paralysis in the face of those and other conflicts in different regions of the world. The inability to reach a minimum consensus, especially among the permanent members, has made it impossible to fulfil the essential task assigned to the Council by the UN Charter.

Nevertheless, despite all the challenges that this deep division entails, the Security Council was able to advance, in 2023, in important dossiers, until the very last day of the year. The approval of resolution 2719 on financing of African Union peace support operation is such an example.

In 2023, we also saw – and we intensely promoted it – a strengthening of the role of the elected members, which on numerous occasions took the lead in dealing with crises. A relevant example was the proposal by Brazil of a draft resolution on the ceasefire in Gaza last October. Although the text ultimately failed adoption for reasons already discussed in this plenary, the E-10 demonstrated at that time the unity and the ability to open the way for dialogue and creative solutions.

We believe that the United Nations should benefit more from the democratization of Security Council decision-making process. An important milestone was the adoption in December of Presidential Note 945. The initial proposal was presented by Brazil and the United Arab Emirates. The Note encourages elected members to play a prominent role in the distribution of “penholderships” among permanent and non-permanent members, the latter being elected by this very General Assembly. Based on the experience of its recent mandate, Brazil strongly recommends current and future members of the E-10 to continue to explore spaces for independent and strong action.

We need to keep moving forward. The Council’s incapacity to act in certain situations is partially a consequence of an archaic structure that is not representative of today’s political realities and needs. There is a serious under-representation, and even lack of representation in the permanent category, of developing countries and entire regions, including Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa. Brazil reiterates its commitment to a speedy reform of the Security Council in both categories and urges other member states to work towards this goal, including through text-based negotiations.

Next September’s Summit of the Future will be an invaluable opportunity to make meaningful progress in this direction.

Thank you.