On 4 February, 2020, the second UNSC Exit Briefing was held with all five countries leaving the Security Council after the 2018-2019 term. Having worked on transparency at the UN Security Council for several years, through both UNSC Election Debates and Briefings, as well as the UNSC Presidency-CSO Dialogues, WFUNA has responded to requests from Member States and Civil Society Organizations to host an open, transparent and inclusive exit briefing.
With over 100 Member State representatives, and almost 30 CSO representatives present, this briefing featured H.E. Mr. Toure Ibrahima, Deputy Permanent Representative of Côte d'Ivoire; H.E. Mr. Anatolio Ndong Mba, Permanent Representative of Equatorial Guinea; H.E. Mr. Bader A. Almunayekh, Deputy Permanent Representative of Kuwait; Mr. Enri Ciprian Prieto Tica, Minister of Peru; and H.E. Ms. Joanna Wronecka, Permanent Representative of Poland.
The event was broadcast live on UN Web TV, and it was promoted on social media with the hashtag #UNSCExit to allow for a participation from a global audience and wider stakeholder engagement.
Ambassadors spoke about the the challenges and opportunities they encountered while serving on the Security Council. Topics discussed include sanctions regimes, protection of civilians, the rights of people with disabilities in the context of conflicts, as well as the use of veto power and the need for increasing the diversity of representation on the Council.
The floor was then opened for questions from Member States and CSOs, who asked challenging questions on the link between development and security for countries emerging from conflict and conflict prevention. In addition, Member States running for a seat on the Security Council this year used this opportunity to seek advice on how to better prepare for their presence on the Council.
In case you missed it, you can watch the full debate below or view the photo gallery here.
WFUNA will continue hosting annual Exit Briefings with outgoing members of the Security Council. Stay tuned for more information on the third Exit Briefing!
