The General Assembly (7 November) renewed discussions of a topic that has eluded consensus for two decades -- reform of the United Nations Security Council. The President of the 193-member Assembly, John W. Ashe created an Advisory Group comprising the Ambassadors of Belgium, Brazil, Liechtenstein, Papua New Guinea, San Marino and Sierra Leone to help him identify ways by which the process could move forward. Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri of India told the Assembly that "the exercise of United Nations Security Council reform cannot be seen as going on till the cows come home." Puri noted that "recent events around the world have increasingly put to question not just the representativeness but also the credibility of the Security Council and the clarion call for change is only growing louder by the day." Ambassador Mootaz Ahmadein Khalil of Egypt, who also spoke in representation of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), said "we should not be looking for just any agreement." Khalil said member states are mandated to seek "a comprehensive agreement that allows for equitable and effective representation for all the regions and groups." He reiterated the African common position, as reflected in the Ezulwini Consensus, and the Sirte Declaration, with the objective "to rectify the historical injustices to Africa regarding its representation in the Security Council. It does not seek to achieve narrow national political interests." Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa of Japan, speaking on behalf of the G4 nations, comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan, said the group is "ready to take part in collective actions in order to search for common ground on the issue of Security Council reform." He encouraged others "to show the same spirit of compromise required to engage in a negotiation process that deserves to be called so in content and not in name only." Ambassador Peter Wittig of Germany, which held a non-permanent seat in the Council for the past two years, said that "the long deadlock in the Council caused by three double vetoes and the terrible impact this had for the Syrian people" stood out. Wittig said that "while the Council has found a common voice again, it is too late and too little for more that 100,000 dead, the wounded, starving and displaced." Beyond Syria, he said, "this episode begs the question; is the Security Council as we see it today still able to address current and future challenges." The 15-member Council currently consists of five permanent members with veto power -- China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States -- and 10 non-permanent members, with no veto, are elected for two-year terms. Some countries have argued that this structure does not represent the realities of today's world. The intergovernmental negotiations on Council reform have been taking place for two decades and key issues under discussion are the category of membership, the question of the veto, regional representation, the size of an enlarged Council, and the Council's working methods and its relationship with the General Assembly.

• published: 11 Nov 2013
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