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Apr 8: "Even the Security Council must comply with the United Nations statutes" |
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Presentation of the final report of the Austrian "Rule of Law Initiative" in New York
 New York, 8 April 2008 - "The actions of states and also those of the United Nations Security Council are subject to international law. Even the Security Council cannot adopt decisions in a vacuum, but must comply with the statutes of the United Nations", said State Secretary Hans Winkler on the occasion of the presentation of the final report of the Austrian initiative (2004 - 2008) for the promotion of the rule of law in the decisions of the UN Security Council.
"Austria has always attached great importance to the rule of law and to international law as the foundation of an effective multilateral system. Especially for small and medium-sized states, the rule of law and compliance with international law constitute an essential element in international relations. The recommendations presented today to the United Nations Security Council are not Austrian proposals but the result of a broad discussion between states and experts, which has been going on for some time", stressed Winkler.
"Our objective is to create awareness. The Security Council plays a central role in international relations. It is currently the most powerful multilateral institution taking legally binding decisions for the Member States. The expansion of the activities of the Security Council in recent years raises several legal issues. The adoption of new legal rules and resolutions does not yet mean that these will be actually applied and implemented. Every legal system must also provide the possibility of law enforcement and verification. Therefore, what is needed are clear and predictable rules, to which states and powerful players such as the Security Council are bound. Especially in the area of peacekeeping and peacemaking, compliance with legal rules is today more important than ever before", said the State Secretary.
The report, which was written in cooperation with the New York University and can be downloaded from the homepage of the Foreign Ministry at the Homepage of the Foreign Ministry contains 17 specific recommendations for the Security Council. "They aim at encouraging the Members of the Security Council to strengthen the rule of law it its various fields of activity and should serve as an impulse and a basis for future work."
Contact:
Federal Ministry for
European and international Affairs
Katharina Swoboda
Office of the State Secretary
Tel.: ++43 (0) 50 1150-3469
katharina.swoboda(at)bmeia.gv.at
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