One of the key themes of the UN General Assembly High Level Week was Security Council reform. To make the UN Security Council more representative and effective, the heads of delegations from many states have intervened, from the United States and France to Brazil and Turkey. Russia is also in favor of reforms, but does not intend to give up its main right: the veto.
Almost every second speaker on the UN forum this week at a high level spoke of the need to finally do something with the UN Security Council. The president of the 77th session of the General Assembly Chaba Kyoryoshi said: the image of the whole organization “in the eyes of the people of the world” depends on the reform of the Security Council. “It has been a long time since the Council more equitably represents the population of the Earth and reflects the realities of the 21st century. This is a question of trust in our entire organization and in the multilateral world order “, he said at the opening of the week at a high level.
The need to reform the Security Council was announced during his speech at United Nations headquarters and US President Joe Biden. According to him, this body should become more inclusive, “so that it can better respond to the needs of the modern world”. “The United States supports an increase in the number of permanent and non-permanent representatives on the United Nations Security Council. This is the permanent accession of those states that we have been supporting for a long time, as well as the countries of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean ”, he specified.
We recall that the Security Council now has 15 members. Five permanent vetoes: the United Kingdom, China, Russia, the United States and France. And ten that change every two years. The need to reform the key international institution of the postwar world order has been debated for several decades.
The most serious attempts to make the council more representative and effective were made in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, the measures discussed have not yet been implemented.
For this reason, the Security Council is regularly criticized. Many countries, particularly influential regional powers that do not have a permanent seat on the council, consider its structure inconsistent with today’s reality. Furthermore, the “five” of the permanent members are often accused of blocking important decisions through the use of the right of veto.
President France Emmanuel Macron, during his speech at the UN podium this week, also spoke about the importance of reorganizing the Council. “France proposes to start reforming the Security Council so that it becomes more representative,” he stressed, adding: the Security Council should accept new permanent members in its ranks.
There are many countries claiming to receive this status. One of the most persistent Turkey. Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly asked for his country to obtain permanent membership, stressing that “the world is more than five” countries and “the fate of humanity cannot and must not be at the mercy of a handful of countries that won World War II. ” During a speech in New York this week, he once again said that the reform would allow the Security Council “to work out solutions to ensure a more just world order and reflect the will of all humanity.”
The permanent members of the board are eager and Brazil. “We built the UN on the ruins of World War II. At that time, we were driven by the determination to avoid the repetition of the destructive cycle of the first half of the 20th century. To some extent, we have succeeded, “Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Tuesday. At the same time, according to him, today’s conflicts, including Ukraine, indicate that the UN is no longer addressing the tasks it faces and must. be reformed.
Chancellor Germany, another country that has long been looking for a seat on the Security Council, has decided to ask for a small start. “Germany is ready to take on greater responsibility, first as one of the ten rotating members in 2027-2028,” said Olaf Scholz from the UN platform. He then he added that “in the future” his country would like to receive permanent member status. “We have to adapt our rules and institutions to the realities of the 21st century,” he urged, “Too often they correspond to the world as it was 30, 50 or 70 years ago. This also applies to the United Nations Security Council “.
According to Olaf Scholz, “the promising and dynamically developing countries and regions of Asia, Africa and South America should have greater political influence on the world stage.”
The head of the Russian delegation, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose speech is scheduled for Saturday, will certainly speak of the importance of the reform of the UN Security Council. Ahead of the week at a high level, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said in an interview with TASS that Russia is a firm supporter of Security Council expansion ideas at the expense of developing countries. .
At the same time, he stressed that Russia will not give up its veto right under any circumstances. Previously, a number of countries have requested that the five permanent members of the Security Council be deprived of the right to veto resolutions or at least reduce their powers. “The veto is a huge responsibility. But at the same time it is a tool and a guarantee to prevent the adoption of unbalanced decisions. When it comes to protecting the fundamental interests of our country and our allies, we will not abandon the use of the veto, “said Vasyl Nebenzya.
Asked by journalists to comment on the US initiative, according to which permanent members of the UN Security Council should impose self-restraint and use the right of veto only “in rare emergency situations”, the Russian permanent representative replied: ” Neither we nor any other permanent board members are interested in vetoing in cases other than emergency, and each of these decisions is of an emergency nature.
This year, Russia used its veto power three times, voting on resolutions on Ukraine, North Korea and the Middle East. In more than 70 years of the UN’s existence, Russia / USSR has used the right of veto most of the time. In second place are the USA.
–
