UN General Assembly’s informal meeting under the item ‘Question of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters’
February 12, 2015
Mr. Chairman,
As this is the first meeting after you have assumed the duties of the Chair, let me fist convey to you our congratulations and assure you of our full support in your effort to carry our work to a successful outcome. I also thank our distinguished colleague Ambassador Tannin for his outstanding contribution. We find ourselves at a watershed moment for the reform of the UN Security Council.
If the UN is to keep and to increase its relevance, it is imperative to enhance its effectiveness in the field of peace and security which was the first raison d’ être of the organization. The Security Council, vested with the primary responsibility in this regard, has to better represent today’s world and charter the way for addressing future challenges.
Cyprus has been closely following this debate over the years and has a strong interest in seeing it yielding results, particularly because as a small state, with a political problem on the agenda of the Security Council for more than 50 years, we invest nearly all our hopes in a strong and credible United Nations, able to produce tangible results and to fully accomplish its role.
We shouldn’t however underestimate the difficulties and how daunting this task is and this is objectively the reason why this process is so lengthy. I had myself the honor and privilege a few years ago to serve as Facilitator, then Advisor, on the “Question of Equitable Representation on, and Increase in the Membership of, the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council”, appointed by the President of the 61st session of the General Assembly with special responsibility regarding “the question of the veto”.
It is high time to engage in a results oriented effort on the basis of a concise negotiating text in a pragmatic and reasonable way. We need to reconcile vision, representativeness, effectiveness and a shared feeling of ownership. Being pragmatic and reasonable also entails that we need to every extent possible, gather the overwhelming majority of the membership including all the P5.
Thank you Mr. Chair