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CHAPTER 5: Section 6 Changes

With Albania as Chair, IWG on documentation and procedure agrees a presidential note expanding codification of “Penholding”
26 December 2023

After lengthy negotiations, on 1 December 2023, the Security Council adopted presidential note S/2023/945 which significantly

expands codification of the "informal arrangement" of penholding for the Council's outcome documents . . .

A historical overview of the “penholder” practice for drafting Council outcome documents

2 February 2023

Over the history of the Security Council, the practice of “penholding” – that is, the arrangements by which one or

more Council members initiate draft outcome documents – can  be viewed as having had three main phases. . .

Resolution 2573 (2021) on protecting critical infrastructure is Council’s latest ‘presidential text’
3 May 2021

On 27 April 2021, during a VTC open debate on ‘Critical infrastructure: The protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population’, the Security Council adopted 2573 (2021), the third resolution within a year’s time to be a ‘presidential text’, that is, a draft co-sponsored by all 15 Council members . . . 

Backgrounder on the “penholder” practice for drafting outcome documents (with Table)

2 February 2023

At a time when the Security Council is adopting more than 200 outcome documents per year, the role of “lead country” or “penholder” has never been more important.  And yet the parameters of this practice are somewhat obscure, as are its origins . . .

Resolution 2538 (2020) on women in peacekeeping is announced as a ‘presidential text’

3 September 2020

On 28 August 2020, via webcast, the Council President (Indonesia) announced that the Council’s first stand-alone resolution on women in peacekeeping operations had been unanimously adopted and was a ‘presidential text’ . . . 

The “lead country” or “penholder” practice for drafting outcome documents (with Table)

Revised on 17 May 2020

At a time when the Security Council is adopting more than 200 outcome documents per year, the role of “lead country” or “penholder” has never been more important.  And yet the parameters of this practice are somewhat obscure, as are its origins . . .

A historical overview of the “lead country” or “penholder” practice

Revised on 11 March 2019

The practice of “penholding” can be viewed as having had three phases . . .

Russian Federation and Bolivia use Rule 35 to change voting order for Syria JIM drafts

26 December 2017

On 16 November 2017, the Council convened to take up two draft resolutions on renewing the mandate of the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) for Syria, one prepared by the Russian Federation, and the other by the United States . . .

Draft resolution on Israeli settlements brought to a vote under Rule 35(2)

12 June 2017

Until December 2016, no case had arisen in the history of the Security Council involving the second paragraph of Rule 35 of the Council’s Provisional Rules of Procedure . . .

“Presidential text” draft resolutions co-sponsored by all 15 Council members

30 October 2016

“Presidential text” is the name given to a draft resolution for which all 15 Council members have agreed to be co-sponsors . . .

Adding co-sponsors after a vote on a resolution

1 November 2014

It has long been the Council’s practice that no new co-sponsors can be added after a resolution has been put to a vote.  This practice, however, is not set out in writing, and therefore is subject to modification at the Council’s discretion . . .

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