The “Uniting for Consensus” Group (UfC: Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Spain, Türkiye) met at Ministerial level on September 20th, 2023, on the margins of the High-Level week of the United Nations 78th General Assembly in New York.
The UfC reiterated its full commitment to an urgent and truly comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council, in order to make it a more democratic, accountable, representative, transparent and effective organ, capable of efficiently exercising its pivotal and ever more needed role in maintaining international peace and security.
In order for it to be genuinely effective, the Security Council reform needs the widest political support, taking into account the legitimate aspirations of all UN Member States to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security. For this reason, the UfC calls for a comprehensive, fair and equitable reform, which is in the interest of the Organization itself and of all those Member States who believe in the need for strong and effective multilateralism.
The UfC recalled that its proposal, based on an increase of the number of non-permanent members – which are democratically elected – and the improvement of the Security Council’s methods of work, ensures accountability and an enhanced, equitable geographic distribution, thus providing a concrete possibility, for each Member State, to contribute to maintaining international peace and security. In addition, UfC promotes limiting the use of the veto of the 5 permanent members.
With the UfC proposal, under-represented regions’ participation in the Security Council would be strengthened; indeed, we must seek to correct the historic injustice against the African continent and ensure an equitable geographic distribution for the countries from the Asia-Pacific and from Latin America and the Caribbean. Going beyond a simple increase in the number of Security Council members, the UfC proposal increases the opportunities for all Member States to sit periodically on the Council, so that all regions and all voices are heard, including those of Small Island and Developing States (SIDS) and Small States.
MEeting at the commencement of this 78th General Assembly, the UfC underlined that the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) remains the sole legitimate process for discussion and negotiation on Security Council reform. Any attempt to disrupt the IGN process through artificial and partial initiatives will prove counter-productive. The UfC reaffirmed its full commitment to a continued and constructive engagement, within this framework, with the President of the General Assembly, the Chair/s of IGN, all Member States and negotiating Groups.
New York, September 20th 2023
(Translation into Italian available soon)
