Mr. President,
On behalf of the Uniting for Consensus group, I wish, first of all, to express our gratitude for your enabling role throughout the Security Council reform process during the 78th session.
We highly appreciate the fair and balanced approach that you have constantly observed. And, we fully concur with the summary of the process that you have outlined in your opening statement.
We would also like to reiterate our appreciation to the Co-Chairs, Ambassador Albanai and Ambassador Marschik, for their dedicated stewardship during this year’s IGN cycle. Thanks to their earnest stewardship they have enabled Member States to engage in fruitful and focused discussions on the five clusters and their interlinkages, as outlined in decision 62/557. This session saw significant progress, including a very productive discussion on concrete models for Security Council reform. The Co-Chairs managed the substantive IGN discussions with exceptional manner, both during the so-called Structured dialogue on the models and in the context of the more informal “taxel talks”. They efficiently revised the Elements Paper on Convergences and Divergences, taking into account the discussions and deliberations that occurred during this session of the IGN. More recently, they made extraordinary efforts to find common ground to achieve an IGN contribution to feed into the Pact for the Future.
As a pro-reform group, Uniting for Consensus has consistently engaged in this process with a proactive and constructive approach, maintaining an open and inclusive dialogue with all delegations and negotiating actors. On March 18th, we published and presented an updated UfC Model of Reform of the Security Council and responded to all questions and queries from other groups and Member States with complete transparency and openness.
However, as strong advocates for transparency and fairness in the process, we regret the lengthy and unprecedented dragging out of the roll-over process. The IGN could have been rolled over weeks ago if it had not been held hostage by one delegation, which inappropriately linked the roll-over to the consultations on the input for the Pact of the Future. Such actions are unfortunate and divisive, undermining the credibility of the process, the authority of the PGA and the Co-Chairs of the IGN. Ultimately, they jeopardize the IGN, which remains the only legitimate and inclusive forum for negotiations on this crucial issue.
The UNSC reform negotiation process is not over, and we look forward to its smooth continuation during the next session of the General Assembly. Beyond our firm convictions on the substance of the reform, we are of the opinion that the common goal of the entire membership should be to foster consensus for a credible and effective reform of the Security Council. This is the only way to increase the public trust in this institution and, ultimately, to strengthen multilateralism, which is much needed in these challenging times we are living.
Mr. President,
In this spirit, the UfC group fully supports your oral draft decision, which facilitates a smooth transition of these important negotiations to the 79th GA session. We look forward to a continuation of the IGN as the one and only forum where we can further narrow our differences, find greater convergences, and ultimately agree on a formula for a reformed Council that benefits all Member States – rather than just a few- and reflects the realities of the 21st Century.
Thank you.
