New Delhi (ABC Live): In a decision that mirrored similar proceedings from last year, the General Assembly decided today that intergovernmental negotiations on the issue of Security Council reform would carry forward to the next Assembly session.
Taking up the “Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters”, Member States decided the issue would be moved forward to the Assembly’s sixty-ninth session. An open-ended working group on the matter would also be convened.
John Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda), President of the General Assembly, said a “fresh approach” was needed, recalling that upon his election he had hoped to advance the reform agenda. With that in mind, he had undertaken negotiations with Member States with no illusions concerning the magnitude and complexity of the task. It would be “foolhardy” to underestimate the challenges that existed; however, Security Council reform was an issue that Member States must not “shy away from”.
In regards to one of the outcomes from the intergovernmental negotiations, the so-called “non-paper” which contained a set of ideas pertaining to the reform negotiations, Mr. Ashe noted that although views on the text were clearly mixed, he was thankful for the positive support it had received from Member States and would communicate its findings to his successor for the sixty-ninth session.
The representative of Brazil said that although the roll-over decision was a mere repetition of events last year, the President’s term would be remembered as a time when the issue of Security Council reform had been advanced, particularly when considering the contributions of the non-paper. However, he warned, without meaningful reform, there was risk of the Organization being discredited.
Pakistan’s representative said the Assembly had taken a prudent and wise decision. The reform process must be pursued in good faith in an open, inclusive and transparent manner that would result in a solution garnering the widest possible political consensus from Member States. Divisiveness would not be helpful for future efforts, he cautioned.
The representative of China agreed, saying that postponing a decision on potential reforms was a practical move and that efforts must be made to develop a package solution that took into account the interests and concerns of all parties.
However, India’s representative said the draft decision was no different from that adopted a year ago, despite the efforts of Member States. In fact, no real progress had been made over the last year, including the contents of the non-paper, which, he noted, had been conspicuously left out of the text of the decision.
Also speaking were representatives of Japan, Italy, Germany, Colombia, Russian Federation, Solomon Islands and Algeria.
The General Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, 9 September, to consider four draft resolutions.
