Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the initiatives taken by the UK while holding the Chair of the UN Security Council; and which such initiatives received support from the full Security Council.

The UK held the presidency of the UN Security Council in August, and focused on a theme of conflict prevention, coinciding with the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. The main event was an open debate on conflict prevention at which the Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2171. This emphasised the role of the UN in preventing conflict, placed conflict prevention firmly on the Security Council’s ongoing agenda, and acknowledged human rights violations as early indicators of conflict. The Council also undertook a trip to Europe – where they visited a First World War battlefield and the International Court of Justice at the Hague – and Somalia and South Sudan. This visit was welcomed by all Council members. The principal responsibility of the presidency is to ensure regular Security Council business is efficiently discharged. To this end, there were debates and discussions on a range of issues, including Libya, ISIL, Yemen, the UN’s mission in Darfur (UNAMID), and Ukraine. Overall, the UK drafted five resolutions and a Presidential Statement. All were agreed unanimously. My Hon Friend, the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds MP), the former Minister for Africa, also chaired a Security Council debate on achieving lasting peace and stability in the Africa's Great Lake regions.