United Nations (TDI): Pakistan, which firmly opposes more permanent members in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), has reiterated its call for ensuring equitable representation on the 15-member body by adding more non-permanent members to make it more democratic, representative, accountable and effective.
“We want to accommodate the interests of all nations and regional groupings — this can be best achieved through addition of regular non-permanent seats, which in our view, is the most equitable and fair option by any comparison,” Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN Ambassador Usman Jadoon told delegates when the long-running Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) aimed at reforming the Council resumed on Tuesday.
“We strongly oppose the proposal for permanent seats, as there is no justification for establishing new centres of privilege within the United Nations,” he stated.
“We want to democratize the UNSC and back reforms that align with the interests of the vast majority of member countries, as well as regional and cross-regional groups, rather than benefiting a few self-designated nations.”
Full-scale negotiations to reform the UNSC started in the General Assembly in February 2009 on five key areas — the categories of membership, the question of veto, regional representation, size of an enlarged UNSC, and working methods of the body and its relationship with the General Assembly.
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Progress towards restructuring UNSC remains blocked as G-4 nations — India, Brazil, Germany and Japan — continue to push for permanent seats in the body, while the Italy/Pakistan-led Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group opposes any additional permanent members.
As a compromise, UfC has suggested creating a new category of members — not permanent — with longer term durations and the possibility of re-election.
The UNSC is currently composed of five permanent members — Britain, Russia, China, France and the United States — and ten non-permanent members elected to two-year terms.
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In his address, the Pakistani envoy stated, “As proposed by the UfC, adding more elected members will increase regional representation and ownership, thereby granting greater legitimacy to the UNSC.”
The UfC proposal, he said, would also accommodate the desire for representation of cross-regional groups like the Arab Group, the OIC, SIDS (Small Island Developing Countries) and other smaller nations — for adequate representation in the UNSC.
He said that if additional permanent members are included, it will mathematically reduce the prospects for representation for the rest of the UN member countries.
The UfC, he said, also wants the UNSC’s membership to be accountable to the UN membership.
