More voices in support of UN Security Council reform

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has added her voice to calls for reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to make the body “more representative, transparent and effective”.

Speaking at the annual high-level event of the United Nations General Assembly (UN) in New York on September 21, Ms. Meloni called for the creation of a “council that can ensure a fairer geographical distribution of seats and that can also increase regional representation.”

Pointing out that the current UNSC was founded in a different century, in the shadow of a conflict that ended 80 years ago – World War II – Meloni argues that a reformed structure would allow everyone a chance to demonstrate their worth.

Many world leaders at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly also promoted UNSC reform, including US President Joe Biden, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky...

On the opening day (September 19), President Joe Biden said the US will continue to push for much-needed reforms to the UNSC amid ongoing gridlock that has prevented the body from carrying out its core missions.

“We need more voices, more perspectives at the negotiating table. The UN must continue to keep the peace, prevent conflict and reduce human suffering,” the US leader said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meets with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, in New York, September 20, 2023. Photo: AP/Post Register

Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, the US President affirmed that his country is engaged in substantive consultations on UNSC reform and remains committed to playing its role.

Reiterating his previous statement, Mr. Biden said that the US is committed to supporting the expansion of the UNSC by increasing the number of permanent and non-permanent members. He also stressed the need to update international institutions to effectively address today's challenges.

On September 20, at the UNSC session within the framework of the 78th UN General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a number of "concrete measures" to limit Russia's power in this organization as a permanent member.

Mr. Zelensky proposed that, given the difficulty of reforming the structure of UN bodies, the veto would be circumvented in the following way: every time a country uses the veto, the issue would be brought to the General Assembly, made up of all 193 member states, for a vote. The veto would be overridden by a two-thirds majority of votes in favor of it.

In addition, the Ukrainian leader proposed that a country be suspended from the UNSC for a period of time “when that country commits an act of aggression against another country, violating the UN Charter.”

Responding to comments aimed at Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued: “The veto is a legitimate tool established in the UN Charter to prevent the adoption of decisions that could divide the organization . ”

Minh Duc (According to Anadolu Agency, DD News, EFE/La Prensa Latina)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/them-tieng-noi-ung-ho-cai-to-hoi-dong-bao-an-lhq-a627607.html