page_title: Presidency of the United Nations Security Council
section_title: Role
hierarchical_section_title: Presidency of the United Nations Security Council / Role
caption_attribution_description: English: United Nations Security Council on the United Nations Headquarters in New York City Français&#160;: La Salle de réunion du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies au siège des Nations unies à New York. Deutsch: Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen im Hauptquartier der Vereinten Nationen in New York City
context_page_description: The presidency of the United Nations Security Council is responsible for leading the United Nations Security Council. It rotates among the 15 member-states of the council monthly. The head of the country's delegation is known as the President of the United Nations Security Council. The presidency has rotated every month since its establishment in 1946, and the president serves to coordinate actions of the council, decide policy disputes, and sometimes functions as a diplomat or intermediary between conflicting groups.
context_section_description: The presidency derives responsibility from the Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Security Council as well as the council's practice. The role of the president involves calling the meetings of the Security Council, approving the provisional agenda (proposed by the secretary-general), presiding at its meetings, deciding questions relating to policy and overseeing any crisis. The president is authorized to issue both Presidential Statements (subject to consensus among Council members) and notes, which are used to make declarations of intent that the full Security Council can then pursue. The president is also responsible for reading statements of the Security Council to the press. The holder of the presidency is considered to be the 'face' and spokesperson of the UNSC. The holder of the presidency may appeal to parties in a conflict to "exercise restraint".
  The president represents the Security Council before other United Nations organs and member states. They also call upon members to speak, send applicants for United Nations membership to a committee of the UNSC and decide voting order. Particularly after the end of the Cold War, the president has worked to coordinate the UNSC with other organs. The president has authority to rule upon points of order, which can be put to a vote if a member of the council challenges it. They also name members of various subsidiary organs, and are generally responsible for maintaining order. Since November 2000, the president has generally prepared background papers for on the topic being discussed.
  The president also continues to represent their state. If their nation is involved in a conflict the UNSC is discussing, they are expected to temporarily step down. Conversely, because the presidency rotates monthly, all nations on the UNSC can evenly emphasize issues important to them. Most non-permanent states hold the presidency once or twice during their two-year terms; Burkina Faso changed its name from Upper Volta in August 1984 during its term, and held it three times. The president often makes a distinction between when they are speaking as the president and as the representative of their state.
  Davidson Nicol, an academic, writes that:
  Although the role of the President should not be exaggerated, the work of the Council, its reputation and that of the United Nations are very much affected by the calibre and style of the individual who presides over the organ having responsibility for international peace and security. . . The Security Council is the pivot of the United Nations in efforts to maintain and enhance international peace and security. The major function of its President should be to guide it effectively and expeditiously toward this noble goal.
caption: The United Nations Security Council chamber in New York City
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