15 December 2017: UN Member States have agreed on a final draft resolution on ‘Restructuring of the UN peace and security pillar,’ UN General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak announced following an unbroken silence procedure. The draft resolution will be considered during a plenary of the UNGA on 20 December 2017.
The final draft, which addresses the proposed reforms to the UN’s peace and security pillar as introduced by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in November 2017, includes the same text as the revised draft of 5 December. It supports the UN Secretary-General’s vision for reforming the UN peace and security pillar, and requests a comprehensive report, to be submitted as soon as possible, that would elaborate on his proposed establishment of the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and the UN Department of Peace Operations, including detailed information on functions, structure and staffing requirements.
The text (A/72/L.33) also takes note of the assurances provided by the UN Secretary-General in his report on ‘Restructuring of the UN Peace and Security Pillar’ (A/72/525), including that his reform proposal does not seek to change established mandates, functions or funding sources of the peace and security pillar. It also: stresses the need to take into account the views expressed by UN Member States; calls for ensuring accountability and transparency; and underlines the principle of equitable geographical distribution.
Restructuring the UN peace and security pillar is being considered in the context of the UN peace and security reform led by the UN Secretary-General, along with the UN management and the UN development system (UNDS) reforms. The agreed text on the peace and security pillar encourages coherence, synergies and complementarities with the Secretary-General’s reform proposals on UN management and the UNDS.
The consultation process that led to the final draft resolution was facilitated by Valentine Rugwabiza, Permanent Representative of Rwanda, and Michal Mlynfir, Permanent Representative of Slovakia. The process included intergovernmental meetings on 22 and 28 November and 6 December to address proposed elements for a resolution, and to discuss the various drafts of the resolution.
On 12 December, Lajcak transmitted to UN Member States a co-facilitators’ letter informing governments that the final draft resolution was under silence procedure until 6:00 pm on 14 December. On 15 December, the UNGA President announced that the silence procedure had not been broken, and the UNGA plenary will consider it for adoption on 20 December. [UNGA President Letter on Silence Procedure Outcome] [Co-Facilitators’ Letter on Final Draft Resolution under Silence Procedure] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Revised Draft Resolution of 5 December] [Draft Resolution ‘Restructuring of the United Nations Peace and Security Pillar’]