With their concept of "twin presidencies", France and Germany are opening a new chapter in the history of the United Nations Security Council, which was founded in 1946.

The two states intend to strengthen the European partnership within the Security Council and send a message of support for multilateral cooperation in international politics – even where this involves breaking new ground.

These goals are also some of the priorities in the implementation of the Treaty of Aachen, signed on 22 January 2019, which carries forward the tradition of the 1963 Elysée Treaty.

English alphabet facilitates "twinning"

Along with Russia, the USA, China and the United Kingdom, France is one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, which hold the power of veto. Germany, by contrast, has been elected for the sixth time as of the ten non-permanent members for the period 2019 and 2020 . The presidency of the Security Council is held for one month in turn by each member, passing from one nation to another in English alphabetical order. No Security Council member stands between "France" and "Germany". The two countries are now making use of this happy coincidence to forge a "twin presidency" (known in French as "jumelage").

Building stability in the Sahel region

Germany and France have drawn up an extensive agenda to strengthen peace worldwide for their consecutive presidencies of the Security Council.

One focus will be the Sahel region: with the Côte d’Ivoire, Germany and France will be organising a Security Council trip to Mali and Burkina Faso at the end of March. Alongside crisis prevention, attention will concentrate on close security policy cooperation between the UN and the European Union in the Sahel region.

Strengthening international law

Another focus is strengthening international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles. The Security Council is to consider ways of better protecting humanitarian helpers from violence in conflicts around the world.

Germany and France are also supporting moves to combat arms trading in the Balkans. They aim to improve cooperation among the authorities in the six Western Balkan states.

Advancing women’s participation, forging ahead with disarmament

In April Germany intends to make progress in the Security Council above all on women, peace and security. Open debates are planned on women in UN peace missions and on combating and preventing sexual violence in the context of conflicts. The German government is engaged in moves to increase women’s political participation and to provide better protection against sexual violence in conflict-afflicted regions in particular and for women and girls in general.

Also on the agenda is worldwide disarmament. Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas will chair a session of the Security Council on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament at the start of April.