UN SECURITY COUNCIL: Reform process to begin next month

[NEW YORK, 12 October 2008] - The UN General Assembly's panel tasked with making recommendations for expanding the membership of the Security Council that would turn it into a more representative and effective body will meet on 17 November.

The Pan African News Agency (PANA) reports that the decision to hold the meeting was reported by UN General Assembly's President Miguel Brockmann, in a letter he sent to permanent representatives of Member States on Friday.

The president stated that the 192-member assembly's Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the issue would hold discussions before starting inter-governmental negotiations on 21 November.

PANA also learnt that Brockmann has appointed Afghanistan's UN Ambassador Zahir Tanin as his points man to hold consultations with member states on the issue.

A UN spokesman, Yves Sorokobi, told PANA that Tanin would chair the informal meeting of the General Assembly and of the working group in an effort to find a way to enlarge the council.

Sokorobi said that the assembly's president planned to pursue, aggressively, the democratisation of the council, which, he said, was top on his agenda on assuming the presidency of the general assembly early in September.

PANA recalls that before closing its 62nd session, the UN assembly decided to begin inter-governmental negotiations on reforming the 15-member council not later than 28 February, 2009.

In taking that decision, a compromise resolution was approved to accomplish the objective through a dual-track approach.

In the resolution, the assembly decided, building on the progress achieved so far, in particular during its 2006 and 2007 sessions.

It also acknowledged the positions of and proposals made by Member States, to "continue immediately to address, within the (Open-Ended) Working Group, the frame work and modalities in order to prepare and facilitate inter-governmental negotiations'' on reforming the security council.

The assembly also decided "to commence inter-governmental negotiations in informal plenary of the assembly during its 63rd session, but not later than February 28, 2009, based on proposals by member states.

It further agreed to "work in good faith, with mutual respect and in an open, in clusive and transparent manner, on the question of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the security council and other matters related to the council, seeking a solution that can garner the widest possible political acceptance by the membership''.

The thorny issue of how to enlarge the 15-member UN Security Council to make it more representative and reflective of today's global realities has for years divided the UN membership.

Last year, a report by five "facilitators'' stated that most UN members support council reform, but could not agree on how to bring it about.

In July 2005, the aspirants for permanent membership namely India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, called the Group of Four (G-4), proposed increasing the council's membership from 15 to 25, with six new permanent seats without veto power and two for the African region as well as four non-permanent seats.

However, the Italy-Pakistan led Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group sought enlargement of the council to 25 seats, with 10 new non-permanent members who would be elected for two-year terms, with the possibility of immediate re-el ection.

It also strongly opposes the induction of new permanent members and seeks expansion of the council only in the non-permanent category.

The African Union called for the council to be enlarged to 26 seats, one more permanent seat than the G-4 proposal.

Its proposal for six new permanent seats was the same as the G-4's, except that it would give the new members veto privileges.

The council has five permanent, veto-wielding members comprising UK, China, France, Russia and the US.

An additional 10 non-permanent members serve two-year terms.

[PANA]

Further information

• Child rights and the UN Security Council explained