Romania in the Security Council

On 23 October 2003, Romania was elected by the General Assembly as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for a two years mandate starting from 1 January 2004.

The number of States which voted in favor of Romania’s candidature is a clear statement of the trust bestowed upon our country in the field of multilateral action, as an active member of the World Organization, having a respected tradition in strengthening the UN’s role and promoting international co-operation.

The mandate of non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, entrusted to Romania in a very dynamic period, decisive for its European and Euro-Atlantic destiny, offers both special opportunities for dialogue and co-operation with its partners, as well as enhanced responsibilities.

In this complex political and diplomatic test, Romania will draw on the expertise acquired through its participation in international peacekeeping operations, stabilization and reconstruction missions (Kosovo, Bosnia Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Iraq). Romania’s action in the Council will also be based on its experience as Chairman in Office of the OSCE, successful economic and political transition, being a pillar of regional stability, open to the global arena.

Since becoming a UN member (1955), Romania already held three times a mandate in the UN Security Council: 1962, 1976 – 1977, 1990 – 1991. During the last mandate, Romania contributed to reaffirming and enhancing the Council’s capacity to act effectively and timely, being actively involved in managing the Kuwait-Iraqi crisis.

Romania’s priorities in the Security Council (2004-2005):

• active and constructive participation in the efforts aimed at ensuring global peace and security, with a special emphasis on finding common answers to the new threats to stability;
• promotion of democratic values, sustainable development and prosperity, essential prerequisites for global stability;
• contributing to enhancing the internal cohesion and coherence of the Council, in order to strengthen the relevance and efficiency of this body and fulfil the defining UN vision of global solidarity and collective security.
• promoting a conflict prevention culture within the Council, by advocating preventive diplomacy and strengthening early warning capacities.

Working mechanisms:

Romania will hold the monthly presidency of the Council in July 2004, according to the alphabetic rotation; there is a possibility to repeat this exercise towards the end of 2005, pending on the elections for the Security Council due in fall this year.

On January 7, Romania was entrusted to fill leading positions with two sanctions committees established by the Security Council. In this respect, Romania was designated chairman of the Committee 1518 on Iraq and vice-chairman of the Committee 1267 dealing with sanctions against Al-Qaeda and the Talibans.

According to the provisions of the founding resolution, the Committee 1518 manages the list of the persons and entities connected with the former regime Hussein, whose deposits abroad must be repatriated with the International Fund for Iraq's Development, while the Committee 1267 is aiming at eliminating all the resources that could fuel terrorist actions.

Romania is a member by right of all the other nine functional structures of the Security Council, so that it is directly connected to developments in the files that stand on the Council's current agenda.

The subsidiary bodies are an assembly of committees and working groups whereby the Security Council monitors and assesses the implementation of its resolutions by all UN member states, and sometimes by non-state entities or natural persons.

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