United Nations, Oct 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned member states about the consequences of failing to reform the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) while encouraging them to move forward with the stalled reform process, according to Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq.
Acknowledging that any reform requiring amendments to the UN Charter can only be undertaken by member states and not unilaterally by the Secretary-General, Haq said on Monday that the UN leadership could only encourage countries to move forward and warn them about the consequences of inaction.
Haq made the remarks when asked about comments by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar that the UN’s highest decision-making body must be reformed to remain relevant, given that UN membership has nearly quadrupled since the organisation was established in 1945.
Haq said Guterres has consistently maintained that, as the United Nations has expanded, the Security Council must also expand and become more representative of the wider membership.
However, he stressed that such changes can only be accomplished by member states under the provisions of the UN Charter.
Underscoring the limited powers of the Secretary-General in this regard, Haq said that responsibility for such decisions rests with member states, particularly through the General Assembly and the Security Council.
He added that Guterres has also repeatedly emphasised the need for African nations to be included among the permanent members of the Security Council.
The current structure of the UN reflects the geopolitical realities that emerged after the Second World War, when the victorious powers shaped the organisation and retained permanent seats with veto powers on the Security Council.
Critics argue that this framework has failed to adequately reflect contemporary global realities by excluding emerging powers in terms of population and economic influence.
It has also left Africa, despite having the largest regional grouping within the UN and being the focus of numerous UN peacekeeping operations, without permanent representation on the Council.
During the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly last month, many world leaders renewed calls for immediate reform of the Security Council.
The Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) process on Security Council reform has remained deadlocked for nearly two decades.
Supporters of reform allege that a small group of countries, including Italy and Pakistan, have used procedural mechanisms to slow progress in the negotiations.
To overcome the impasse, India and several other countries have called for the adoption of a formal negotiating text that would define the agenda, record progress in discussions and allow negotiations to advance in a structured manner rather than restarting with each new General Assembly session.
Source: IANS
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