Ministers of the Member Countries of the “Uniting for Consensus[1]” Group (UfC) held a virtual meeting today to assess the status and prospects of the United Nations Security Council reform process.
The Ministers noted that, despite the persistence of diverging views on key aspects of the reform, the latest Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) confirmed the commitment of the UN membership to work out the differences and build upon the elements of commonality with a view to reach a solution to this longstanding process based on the widest possible support.
Concurring on the urgent need for a reformed Security Council, UfC Ministers stressed that the IGN remains the most appropriate and effective forum on Security Council reform providing all UN Member States the opportunity to work together in an inclusive and practical manner.
UfC Ministers reiterated that the Security Council – the place where the ultimate decisions on global peace and security are taken – must be made more democratic, accountable, representative, transparent and effective. A Council “truly fit for purpose” would gain greater legitimacy in the eyes of the UN Membership, instill greater trust in the United Nations and strengthen the cause of multilateralism.
UfC Ministers therefore called upon all Member States to continue to work constructively to reach a fair and equitable compromise solution that meets the collective interest of all 193 Members of the UN.
Consistent with the Group’s constructive approach, the UfC Ministers agreed that, in order to help redress historical injustices, efforts towards a reformed Security Council should aim at achieving equitable representation for African countries. The reform should also ensure an enhanced representation and a greater voice for other developing regions, Small States and SIDS. Only by making the Council more representative of the 21st century would the Council become capable of addressing old and new challenges. Only in this way would all Member States be granted more chances to sit and serve in the Council.
At the same time, UfC Ministers confirmed their opposition to the creation of new permanent members in the Security Council: an effective and democratic Security Council cannot be achieved with the addition of new members with exclusive national rights and unequal privileges.
The Ministers reaffirmed the full commitment of the UfC members to engage constructively and in good faith in the next IGN to achieve a “Security Council reform for all”.
New York, September 23, 2021
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[1] Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Spain, Turkey.
