UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for ensuring equitable representation in the fifteen-member UN Security Council by including more elected members to make it more effective and democratic.
After the deadlocked Inter-Governmental Negotiations aimed at restricting the SC resumed on Thursday, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN) told delegates that a regional approach that ensures equitable geographical representation should be the main proposition around which agreement can be developed on categories, size, and other aspect of the council reform.
In this regard, Pakistani ambassador highlighted the need for flexibility to achieve the need consensus among all UN member states to end the stalemate in the reform negotiations.
He said that meaningful and effective reform can be achieved only through the most possible agreement of the member states.
He said that while there are deficits in the Council’s ability to fulfill its principal responsibilities. Including to the ranks of the privileged (permanent members) in the Security Council is unlikely to offer solutions to those deficits of the collective security architecture.
The envoy aid that the reform of the council must redress these deficits by increasing the council’s representativeness, transparency, democracy and accountability.
UN General Assembly reformation
Negotiations to reform the Council began in the UN General Assembly in February 2009 on five important areas including the categories of membership, regional representation, the question of veto, size of an enlarged Security Council, and working ways of the council and its relationship with the General Assembly.
But the progress to restructure the council remains blocked as G4 countries Brazil, India, Japan and Germany continue pushing for permanent membership of the council, while the Pakistan and Italy-led Uniting for Consensus group opposes additional permanent members.
As a compromise, the group has proposed a new category of members, not permanent members with longer duration in terms and with a possibility to get re-elected. The Council is currently composed of 5 permanent members including Britain, France, the United States, China, and Russia. — APP
