Arria-Formula Meetings

Arria-formula meetings are an informal innovation in Security Council practice, named after Venezuelan Ambassador Diego Arria, who convened the first one in 1992. Arria wanted the Council to hear testimony from a Bosnian priest about the situation in Yugoslavia, but formal Council procedure did not allow non-state actors to address the body. So Arria invited Council members to an informal meeting outside the Council chamber.

The format stuck. Arria-formula meetings are not formally part of the Council's rules of procedure but have become a regular feature of its work. Any Council member can convene one, and they allow the Council to hear from civil society organizations, humanitarian workers, human rights defenders, academics, and other experts who would not normally have access to the formal chamber.

How Arria Meetings Work

Arria-formula meetings are voluntary: Council members attend by choice, not obligation. They are typically hosted by one or more Council members who have an interest in the topic. The proceedings are informal, with more open dialogue than formal sessions allow.

In recent years, Arria meetings have been used to hear from:

• Survivors of conflict-related sexual violence
• Medical workers in besieged cities during the Syrian civil war
• Climate scientists briefing on security implications of climate change
• Journalists and civil society under authoritarian pressure

Arria meetings cannot produce resolutions or formal decisions. Their power is informational and political: they put testimony on the record, build awareness among Council members, and create political pressure for action. They are particularly useful when a P5 member blocks formal Council discussion of an issue but cannot prevent an informal meeting.