(This page is currently under construction.)
This page contains a selection of links and resources on each of the topics in the Security Council portfolio.
General Links
UN Security Council Website
The UN website provides a very comprehensive page on the Security Council and its work.Background Information
The UN website provides background information about the UN Security Council.Program of work
The daily schedules of work of the Security Council for each month and presidency.Glossary of Council Meeting
A concise definitional list of the different types of meetings of the Council - includes a section on informal consultations. Prepared up by the Mission of Singapore to the UN.Resolutions and Documents
The UN Documentation Center provides access to Security Council resolutions by year, presidential statements, letters, press releases, mission reports and SG reports.Repertoire of the Practise of the Securit Council
Posted by the UN's Department of Political Affairs, the “Repertoire” is the only analytical record of the practices of the Security Council. It includes the Provisional Rules of Procedure.Security Council's Public Meetings
The UN Department of Public Information provides online broadcasts and past recordings of all the Council's Public Meetings.Security Council Report
This website provides a detailed analysis of issues, with a focus on the Council's monthly program of work.Security Council Reform
United Nations
Strengthening the UN
As part of UN Reform, the UN has dedicated this page to their efforts to strengthen the organization.General Assembly President’s Website
The General Assembly’s webpage provides information on the state of Security Council Reform under “Main Issues”. Previous General Assembly Presidential pages are still available with the material from those years.Missions
Many Missions at the United Nations provide information on Security Council Reform, especially statements made by their representatives.
Mission of China
China, one of the P5, provides some of its statements on Security Council Reform on its website.Mission of France
France, one of the P5, provides some of its statements on Security Council Reform on its website.Mission of Russia
Russia, one of the P5, provides some of its statements on Security Council Reform on its website.Mission of the US
The US, one of the P5, provides some of its statements on Security Council Reform on its website.Mission of Brazil
Brazil, a member of the G4, posts all of its statements on Security Council reform on its website.Mission of Germany
Germany, a member of the G4, provides its statements to the General Assembly on the state of Security Council reform on its website.Mission of India
India, a member of the G4, posts all of its statements on Security Council reform on its website.Mission of Japan
Japan, a member of the G4, posts many of its statements on Security Council reform on its website.Mission of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein, a member of the Small 5 (S5), provides its statements on Security Council Reform on its website.Mission of Singapore
Singapore, a member of the Small 5 (S5), provides its statements on Security Council Reform on its website.Mission of Switzerland
Switzerland is a member of the Small Five (S5) focused on Security Council working method reform. Its website provides statements by its Ambassadors and materials presented by the S5 group.Mission of Italy
Italy is one of the leaders of the Uniting for Consensus (UfC) movement. Its website provides statements from their representatives as well as those of other countries. It also provides materials from the Uniting for Consensus group.Mission of Pakistan
Pakistan is a member of Uniting for Consensus. Its website contains many of the statements that its representatives have made on Security Council Reform.
Mission of Afghanistan
Ambassador Tanin of Afghanistan has been leading the initiative on Security Council Reform in the General Assembly since 2008. The Mission of Afghanistan provides the key documents that he has produced connected to his work.Mission of Canada
Canada has been advocating for an intermediate solution to UN Reform. It posts many of its statements on its mission website.Mission of South Africa
South Africa provides some of its statements on Security Council Reform on its website.Mission of South Korea
South Korea has been advocating for an intermediate solution to UN Reform. It posts many of its statements on its mission website.NGO’s
International Peace Institute’s Security Council Page
The International Peace Institute follows the Security Council and offers some insight into its dynamics and the possible impacts of the reform movement on the Council’s work.Citizens for Global Solutions’ UN Reform Page
Citizens for Global Solutions is an American-based organization that works towards educating the American public about the importance of international organizations and strengthening the UN. It has a section dedicated to UN Reform as well as a connected research organization, the World Federalist Institute, that produces publications on strengthening global governance.Reform the UN
This site is a project of the World Federalist Movement and Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP) that has compiled numerous articles, documents and statements on Security Council Reform as well as UN reform more generally.Center for UN Reform Education
The Center for UN Reform Education follows the developments of general UN reform. It has articles on the state of Security Council reform and many of the relevant documents.
Sanctions
Angola Peace Monitor
Magazine published by Action for Southern Africa.
Bonn-Berlin Process
Bonn International Center for Conversion in cooperation with Auswärtiges Amt (German Foreign Office) and the UN Secretariat, hosted two seminars in November 1999 and December 2000 on "smart-sanctions". Looking at arms embargoes and travel sanctions in a follow-up to the Interlaken process.
Fourth Freedom Forum
Fourth Freedom Forum in Indiana and Washington D.C., promotes the use of economic and political incentives and "smart" sanctions, such as targeted financial sanctions and arms embargoes, as a means to prevent war and nuclear proliferation.
Institute for International Economics
Provides a few papers on targeted and economic sanctions from a US conservative perspective. Also contains a section on case studies - mainly on unilateral US sanctions.
International Action Center
Releases and reports from US based Iraq Sanctions Challenge.
Iraq Action Coalition
Information and resources and analysis of the Iraq sanctions regime.
Middle East Research and Information Project
Comprehensive web site with several articles on sanctions, covering sanctions against Iraq in particular.
New Zealand Customs Service
A succinct summary of import and export restrictions related to UN sanctions. March 1999 paper from ODI on the sanctions debate (pdf file).
Peace Action Education Fund
The 1998 Peace Action National Congress adopted a strategy proposal called "Abolition of Comprehensive Economic Sanctions". Their pages have comprehensive sections on Iraq and US sanctions. Covers UN and uni-lateral sanctions. Includes a listing of organisations working on sanctions.
UN Working Group on General Issues and Sanctions
Launched in 2001, UN site with links to UN documentation (including resolution, letters and reports) on sanctions and other major initiatives.
United Nations Office of the Iraq Programme
UN department overseeing implementation of the Iraq oil-for-food programme. Provides full text of the Secretary General's reports; Security Council resolutions and weekly updates on the working of the oil-for-food programme.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
OCHA's page on the Humanitarian Impact of Sanctions provides a summary of UN concerns about the negative impacts of sanctions as well as links to resources and key UN documents.
United States Mission to the UN
The Whitehouse perspective on sanctions.
United States Treasury: Office of Foreign Assets Control
US sanctions regimes and policies on different countries.
Voices in the Wilderness
A UK/US NGO group campaigning to end the sanctions against the people of Iraq.
Peacekeeping
UN Resources
UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations
United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and Missions
Contains information, facts, figures and mandates on all peacekeeping operations.
Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
The Committee was mandated in 1965 to conduct a comprehensive review of all issues relating to peacekeeping. The website has links to selected UN documents on peacekeeping.
UN Documentation Center: Resources in Peacekeeping
The UN's Dag Hammarskjöld Library's website that provides general information on UN documents related to peacekeeping, including Security Council and General Assembly documents and reports.
Monthly Summary of Military and Civilian Police Contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations
Includes data tables on size of individual peacekeeping operations, alphabetical listing of member states' contributions, and listing of member states according to the size of contribution.
Peacekeeping Fact Sheet
Peacekeeping Resource Hub
UN DPKO: Lessons from recent experience
Information posted by the UN about "lessons learned" from past peacekeeping operations to help in the planning of future operations and the conduct of ongoing ones.
Civil Society Resources
Better World Campaign’s Peacekeeping Page
International Peace Institute -- Resources on Peacekeeping
Posts information about the work and publications of IPA, this section focuses on Peacebuilding and Peace Implementation.
Peace Operations Resource Site
The product of an extensive research project by Cindy Collins, this is an impressive resource page from the Watson Institute at Brown University, with several different research tools (including a searchable database with over 2,000 entries on peace operations).
The Partnership for Effective Peacekeeping (PEP)
Peacekeeper's Home Page of Canada
Created by a Canadian peacekeeping veteran in dedication to all Canadian peacekeepers. Comprehensive - with daily news updates.
United States Institute of Peace Programs
Collection of reports analyzing crisis and exploring ways to develop peace.
International Crisis Group
Analysis on crisis in Africa, Central Asia, and the Balkans.
United National Association of the USA
Provides information on peace and security, including topics such as peacekeeping, humanitarian intervention and NATO.
Government and Intergovernmental Organization Resources
Standby High Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG) Web Site
Official web site of SHIRBRIG, a multinational brigade that aims to provide the UN with a high readiness peacekeeping force. The comprehensive web site provides information about SHIRBRIG's background, membership, organizational structure, agreements, and training standards.
Defense Link - United States Department of Defense
The US contributes few troops, but its military arm is usually very important to UN peacekeeping, through logistics, air support, equipment, transport and other kinds of backing. This main site at the Pentagon provides links to information on peacekeeping and related issues.
Canada and Peace Support Operations
The Canadian government's website that details the different aspects of peacekeeping operations, such as the stake holders, history, and mission. Canada's contribution to individual peacekeeping operations is also outlined. The website has a page that provides extensive links to other peacekeeping-related sites.
The International Peace Operations Association
A Washington based association of Military Service Provider companies that do everything from mine clearance, to armed logistics, to emergency humanitarian services, to actual armed peacekeepers.
Pearson Peacekeeping Center
The official website of Pearson Peacekeeping Center. The Center was established by the Canadian government and its mission is to support and enhance Canada's contribution to international peace, security, and stability.
Permanent Mission of the US to the UN: peacekeeping section
Provides a collection of updated statements by the US mission on UN peacekeeping.
US Army Peacekeeping Institute
Africa
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
ECOWAS has been actively involved in bringing peace to Sierra Leone.
African Union (AU)
States that are members of the AU can request intervention from the Union in order to restore peace and security. The AU can also intervene if war crimes, genocide, or crimes against humanity are taking place on a member's territory.
Organization of African Unity (OAU)
This link is to a site that gives a historical background of the OAU. The creation of the African Union brought the end of the OAU whose doctrine of non-interference in the affairs of member states hamstrung its efforts to end the multiple conflicts in Africa. The official OAU website has closed down.
Europe
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
NATO has been involved in a number of UN military operations, both officially and unofficially. This site posts information about the alliance and its activities. Worth watching for past and future peacekeeping.
NATO and UN Peacekeeping
Chapters 5 and 6 of NATO's Logistic Handbook outline NATO's role in Peace Support Operations (PSOs) and the Partnership for Peace (PfP) program.
EU (European Union)
EU Crisis Response Capabilities: An Update
The report examines the European security and defense policies in the post-September 11 world. It considers EU involvement in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Macedonia, as well as in the Middle East conflict.(International Crisis Group)
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)
A comprehensive overview of the European Union's CFSP responding to increasing demands.
OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe)
The official web site of the OSCE with information on the organization's structure and activities.
OSCE Missions and Field Activities
Includes detailed information on OSCE's missions, monitorings, and assistance projects that are active in Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Caucasus, Central Asia and other regions.
Western European Union
EuroCorps: A Force for Europe and the Atlantic Alliance
The official website of Eurocorps. The Eurocorps is a multi-natinal army corps that does not belong to the integrated military structure of NATO. It comprises of military contributions from its five member states in the Western European Union (WEU): Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain.
Media and Informational
BBC Peacekeeping Information Page
Quick summary of UN Peacekeeping Misisons. Includes a quiz to test your dedication to the UN and information on the Millennium Summit.
Humanitarian Intervention: the Case of Somalia
An annotated resource list from Worldview that emphasizes the problematic side of the UN operation in Somalia.
Small Arms and Light Weapons
NGO Initiatives
British American Security Information Council (BASIC)
An independent research organization that analyzes government policies and promotes public awareness of defense, disarmament, military strategy and nuclear policies in order to foster informed debate.
The Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)
The Bonn International Center for Conversion, "promotes and facilitates the processes whereby people, skills, technology, equipment, and financial and economic resources can be shifted away from the defense sector and applied to alternative civilian uses.
Control the Weapons Trade
Control the Weapons Trade is part of the Canadian Ploughshares site. Comprehensive and well-ordered documents section. They also monitor news from Viva Rio, an organization campaigning for weapons control in Brazil.
Gun Control Alliance (GCA)
The GCA is a network of organisations and individuals calling for the stricter control of firearms in South Africa. Currently over 200 diverse organisations support the Charter for Gun Control, including business, health, religious, women and youth organisations. Includes a page of statistics.
International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)
IANSA is a global network of over 200 NGOs from different fields with a commitment to preventing the spread and misuse of small arms. Includes a Calendar of events on SALW.
International Alert
International Alert's objective is to identify and address the root causes of violence and contribute to the just and peaceful transformation of violent internal conflict. This includes issues relating to light weapons transfers and the impact of private military companies.
SmallArmsNet
SmallArmsNet is "an information portal for groups and individuals working to contain the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Africa." SmallArmsNet is an initiative of the Arms Management Program at the Institue for Security Studies, a policy organization involved in the debate about defense and security in Africa.
Norwegian Initiative on Small Arms Transfers
Excellent site that provides a database of small arms transfers, with information on imports, exports and the black market in arms. Authorized arms exports by the US are especially interesting.
Quaker UN Office
A founding member of IANSA, the American Friends Service Committee UN Office tackles disarmament issues of: small arms control, the UN Register of Conventional Arms, and a Code of Conduct for Arms Transfers Demobilization.
Reaching Critical Will
A WILPF initiative that seeks to enhance the access, preparation and participation of non-governmental organisations in all disarmament fora.
Regional Centre for Strategic Studies
A Sri Lankan based NGO, the Regional Centere for Strategic Studies covers small arms issues in South Asia.
Saferworld
A UK based independent foreign affairs think-tank working to identify, develop and publicise more effective approaches to tackling and preventing armed conflicts. As a leading NGO of IANSA, has a comprehensive Arms Control Program and list of publications.
Small Arms Survey
The Small Arms Survey is a research project located in Switzerland and supported by the Swiss government. Its database on the upcoming UN conference on small arms includes the voting records of states on UN small arms resolutions. It has a listing of all documents related to Small Arms here.
World Policy Institute
World Policy Institute's Arms Trade Resource Center.
UN Disarmament Resources and Publications
Various publications in English, French and Spanish from the UN. Ordering information also. For UN Documents, see our Small Arms and Light Weapons Index.
UN Agencies Working on Small Arms
CASA
The UN Department of Disarmament Affairs Conventional Arms Branch Agency for Co-ordinating Action on Small Arms.
UN Department for Disarmament Affairs Documents - Conventional Arms Branch
Page which links to recent UN documents on conventional and small arms. Somewhat difficult to navigate - simply listed in chronological order - however, a welcome collection. We have also placed some salient and more recent documents in the UN Documents section below. See also the UN Department of Disarmament Affairs.
UNDP - Safe and Efficient Small Arms Collection and Destruction Programmes
This UNDP report addresses the logistics of disarmament and small arms control, including information gathering, weapons collection, and weapons destruction. See also the UNDP Small Arms Reduction Programme.
UNICEF pages on Children in War
"In the armed conflicts of recent years, children have been not only unintended victims but deliberate targets of violence. The number of children who have been directly affected is enormous." Includes a link to Graí§a Machel's report on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children.
United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
UNIDIR began work in 1980, after the GA called for a UN focal point for disarmament research in 1978. Works on various projects, such as Peace-building and Practical Disarmament in West Africa and Confidence-Building and Security Measures (CSBMs) in the Middle East.
UN video presentation "Armed to the Teeth"
Afghanistan
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
The UK Ministry of Defence's website provides a comprehensive and detailed information on the day-to-day developments of the multinational operation in Afghanistan.Angola
Home page of the Security Council Monitoring Mechanism on UNITA Sanctions
List of UN sanctions resolutions on Angola
United Nations Mission of Observers in Angola (MONUA).
The mandate of MONUA ended on 26 February 1999. The mission was under liquidation as at July 1999.
Angola Peace Monitor
Produced every month by Action for Southern Africa.
Home Page of the Republic of Angola
Diamond News
A sub-site of World News which provides links and up to date, multi-national news coverage on issues and controversies surrounding diamonds.
Angola's 25 Years of Civil War (November 9, 2000)
A summary of events in the 25 war-torn years since Angola's independence from Portugal. (Agence France Presse)
Congo
MONUC
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Information for the Humanitarian Community in DRC
ReliefWeb information on the DRC
Congo Daily
Ethiopia and Eritrea
Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commssion
International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE) Guide to Internet Sources on Conflict in Ethiopia
Pakistan and India
United States Institute of Peace Library
Links by topical categories to resources providing information on the Kashmir conflict.
Kashmir in the United Nations
UN and Security Council resolutions on Kashmir.
Kashmir: Legal Documents
A collection of 140 government and UN documents (1846 - 1999) from the pro-Indian Kashmir Information Network.
UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)
Iran
The Iranian Nuclear Dilemma
The Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy puts together articles, analyses and documents on Iran 's nuclear and legal obligations. LCNP looks at the situation though the angle of non-proliferation and international law.
Nuclear Iran?
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) covers most recent developments on Iran , and provides governments, UN, NGO and media resources.
Lebanon and Syria
UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
Human Rights Watch site on Lebanon
Rwanda
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)
Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Actions of the UN During the 1994 Genocide
An independent inquiry commissioned by Secretary General Kofi Annan. Released December 15, 1999.
The Triumph of Evil (1999)
An in depth PBS/Frontline report on the Rwanda genocide, subtitled: "How the west ignored warnings of the 1994 Rwanda genocide and turned its back on the victims."
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone Sanctions Committee
Sierra Leone Web
A site with news, documents, links and country information.
Diamond News
A sub-site of World News which provides links and up to date, multi-national news coverage on issues and d controversies surrounding diamonds.
BBC in depth coverage of Sierra Leone
The UK troops played a major part in Sierra Leone - at one time a former colony of Britain. These pages analyze the conflict as well as the UK's role.
The Perspective.org
A newsmagazine published by the Liberian Democratic Future group. The site has links and information on Liberia and the conflict, including its effects on Sierra Leone.
Western Sahara
MINURSO Background
UN's official page on Western Sahara and the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.
Western Sahara Referendum Support Association
News, documents, and background of the conflict.
