Security Council Adopts 2021 Annual Report to General Assembly

The Security Council adopted its annual report to the General Assembly today, covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2021.

Nicolas de Rivière (France), whose delegation coordinated the drafting of the report’s introduction, presented the text to Council members.  Thanking them for their constructive engagement, he said the year 2021 continued to be characterized by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as reflected in both the situations on the Council’s agenda and the organ’s own working methods.  Meetings throughout the year were held in a hybrid format, including both virtual and in-person sessions.  However, the Council was able to conduct a field mission to Africa’s Sahel region, he said, emphasizing the importance of maintaining contact with situations on the ground.  Also underscoring the importance of multilingualism, he said the Council worked to become more inclusive and more productive, with more women and civil society members able to take the floor than in previous years.  Members adopted 24 presidential statements and 57 resolutions in 2021, mostly by consensus.  Noting that disagreements clearly continue to exist between members on some issues, he nevertheless voiced his hope that the spirit of compromise will continue to prevail in the Council chamber.

By the terms of the United Nations Charter, the Security Council is tasked with submitting an annual report to the General Assembly that contains a summary of its work and the activities of its subsidiary bodies, including counter-terrorism committees, sanctions committees, working groups and international tribunals it has established.

The Council unanimously adopted the report, which will be reflected in a note by the President, to be issued as document S/2022/403.

The meeting began at 10:06 a.m. and ended at 10:13 a.m.