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HomeWorldLonger UNSC reform is stalled, greater its deficit in representation: G-4

Longer UNSC reform is stalled, greater its deficit in representation: G-4

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United Nations, Nov 17 (PTI) Asserting that the UN Security Council still does not reflect the current geopolitical landscape, the G-4 nations of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan on Thursday warned that the longer its reform is stalled, the greater will be its deficit in representation.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj also said that only enhancing membership in both permanent and non-permanent categories will enable the powerful UN body to effectively manage current conflicts.

Delivering the statement on behalf of the G4 nations at the UN General Assembly plenary meeting on ‘Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council’, she asserted that it is high time to bring the UN Security Council in line with its Charter responsibility to act on behalf of the entire Membership.

“This will not be achieved without enhancing the membership in both the categories. Only this will enable the Council to manage effectively today’s conflicts around the globe as well as increasingly complex and interconnected global challenges it faces today,” she added.

The G-4 voiced regret that even after 40 years of the item on equitable representation in the Security Council being included on the General Assembly agenda, work on the issue has “nothing substantive” to show.

“The longer the Security Council reform is stalled, the greater its deficit in representation. And representation is – an inescapable precondition for its legitimacy and effectiveness,” Kamboj said.

India’s current two-year term as non-permanent member of the Security Council will end next month, after it has presided over the 15-nation Council.

New Delhi and the G4 nations have been at the forefront of efforts calling for urgent reform of the Security Council, which has remained deeply divisive in dealing with current challenges. India has asserted that the Council, in its current form, does not reflect today’s geo-political realities and its credibility is at risk if nations like developing nations like India do not have a permanent seat at the horse-shoe table.

The G4 upholds the need for a comprehensive reform of the UNSC, with the expansion of seats in both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, equitable regional representation, more transparent and inclusive working methods and an enhanced relationship with other UN bodies, including the General Assembly.

While assuring that the G4 is eager to collaborate with President of the 77th session of the General Assembly Csaba Korosi and the co-Chairs in bringing about a result-oriented process, Kamboj said depending on the results of “our joint work, the G4 also reserves the right to revert to this item of the General Assembly agenda during the current session.” Kamboj added that the Council still does not reflect the current geopolitical landscape. “In contrast, many other major international institutions have made strides to change and adapt. There is simply no reason to leave the Security Council out of this process,” she said.

The G4 nations pointed out that as indicated in the recent document ‘A Call to Action’ signed by more than 35 UN member states, a diverse number of nations continue to voice their concern with the lack of openness and transparency in the Inter-Governmental Negotiations, underlining the need for enhanced working methods and the definition of the applicable rules of procedure to the process.

“It is also an indication that the IGN are not being used to enable real negotiations, but to prevent any concrete outcome. The very purpose of its creation fourteen years ago – to launch actual negotiations – is being voided by the lack of activity, by the absence of a negotiating text and by the unwillingness of some to truly engage in substantive discussions,” the grouping said.

The G4 said that it has been consistently asking for a single consolidated text and for renewed working methods in order to bring about an “open, inclusive and transparent process”, with webcasting, record-keeping and the application of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly. Further, Kamboj emphasised “an undeniable fact” that as many as 164 Member States have called for a text to serve as the basis for negotiations.

While there is an argument by some that the IGN is an informal process, Kamboj said this “does not mean we should operate in the shadows, losing track of what we discuss there year after year.” She asserted that a single consolidated text, preferably with attribution, is the only means to move away from the cycle of repetition of well-known positions that have been the trademark of the IGN in the recent past.

“It is also the best way to identify commonalities and promote a give-and-take that may ultimately result in proposals that garner ample support from Member States,” she said.

Underlining that almost everybody agrees that the Security Council is in dire need of reform, the G4 stressed that this is why the Intergovernmental Negotiations were set up in the first place: “to allow us to sit down and discuss how to bridge the gaps in our positions. Reaching consensus before negotiating was simply never the plan.” “We simply cannot allow the IGN process to cocoon itself in perpetuity without letting collective aspirations of the member states to take a definite shape. We hope this year IGN process will not be another missed opportunity,” Kamboj said.

The G4 expressed confidence that co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council Reform Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the UN Michal Mlynar and Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait Tareq M. A. M. Albanai will guide the Member States to instill new life in the process on UNSC reform.

Kamboj reminded the UNGA that during this year’s high-level week in September, more than 70 Heads of State and Government and high level governmental representatives underlined that reforming the Security Council should be one of the priorities during this session.

“This broad support for this topic confirms its relevance and urgency,” she said. PTI YAS ZH ZH

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

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