Security Council Summit.

• Position: Heads of state meet at the United Nations Security Council - Brief Article

In connection with the Millennium Summit, the Security Council on 7 September 2000 met at the level of Heads of State and Government for the second time in its history. Following an extended debate, the world leaders--9 Presidents, 5 Prime Ministers and 1 Foreign Minister--unanimously adopted a Declaration on ensuring an effective role for the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace, particularly in Africa. The Council identified pressing social and economic problems--poverty, the spread of infectious disease and the illicit trade in natural resources, particularly diamonds-as the root causes of many conflicts, which needed to be tackled as a fundamental part of efforts to establish peace and stability in many regions of the world.

There was also agreement on the need to strengthen conflict prevention efforts, and a number of speakers called for the establishment of early warning mechanisms and other measures. The question of when the Council should intervene was a focus of many statements, with some emphasizing the primacy of State sovereignty, and others the imperatives of preventing human rights abuses and other humanitarian crimes. Proposals for improving United Nations peacekeeping performance, especially those contained in the recent Report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations...