United Nations, Sep 30 (IANS) General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman intends to lead the process of Security Council reform which is bogged down for about two decades, according to his Spokesperson Melissa Summers.
“He will follow the intergovernmental negotiation (IGN) process (for reform), which is mandated and ongoing”, she said on Tuesday.
“He intends to lead the Assembly clearly in this process, and follow the wishes and desires of the groups and the member states”, she said.
Asked by a reporter if Rahman intended to take any steps to speed up the process, she said, “He emphasises the need for action in all of his priorities” and added she would have no further comment.
The momentum of the demand for reform of the Council, mired in the post-World War II geopolitical architecture of 1945, has grown with Africa’s demands for permanent seats taking centre stage at the recent high-level meeting of the General Assembly.
Summers said, “He spoke very candidly about Africa’s need for representation. He is very clear on this”.
At the start of the high-level meeting last week, Rahman said the Council must be “more representative, transparent and reflective of the geopolitical realities of our time”.
“Ensuring fair representation for underrepresented regions must remain a priority and nowhere is this more important, right now, than in Africa”, he said.
“After eight decades,” he said, “the largest region by number of Member States and a key focus of UN Peacekeeping, remains underrepresented on the Security Council. Africa needs to be at the table, not on the menu”.
Nations from across the world picked up on that theme, with a majority of countries at the meeting last week calling for reforms and backing Africa’s claim.
India, which is demanding a permanent seat at the Council, has also repeatedly backed permanent seats for Africa.
At the Africa Day celebrations in August, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “India is a strong votary of Africa’s rightful place in a reformed United Nations Security Council”.
“We similarly seek your support to ensure India’s permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council”, he added.
–IANS
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