India has joined Brazil, Germany and Japan in calling for the UN Security Council reform process to be accelerated, and all four countries have said intergovernmental negotiations on the issue have dragged on for more than a decade with no progress. substantial.
The four countries, also known as the G4, outlined their position in a joint letter sent to the President of the UN General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, on Monday. They demanded actions to transform the UN Security Council in accordance with the “African Common Position”, and said that the negotiations should not be “hostage, procedurally and substantially, of those who do not wish to achieve reform.”
The letter from India, submitted by the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, K Nagaraj Naidu, referred to the draft decision on the extension of the intergovernmental negotiations on equitable representation and the increase of the membership of the Security Council, and He said this process “must clearly capture the tangible progress” made at two meetings held earlier this year.
The letter said that clear progress was made in this year’s negotiations with member states that support the “Common African Position” as set out in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, and the “urgent need for transparency and enforcement of the regulations of the General Assembly for intergovernmental negotiations ”.
The Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, which contain the common African position on the reform of the UN Security Council, were developed by a committee on UN reform established by the African Union Summit in 2005.
“The growing support for the Common African Position has, in fact, been reinforced not in one, but in multiple forums, and from multiple groups,” the letter said. The concept was also endorsed by the Non-Aligned Movement, comprising 120 states, in October 2019 and by the G4 in a joint statement by the foreign ministers in September 2019.
“Consequently, it is correct and just that the growing support expressed for the African Common Position at the two meetings of the [inter-governmental negotiations] earlier this year they are included in the body of the renewal decision. Otherwise, we run the risk of endorsing an incorrect view of this year’s work and giving the impression that nothing has happened, ”the letter said.
The letter also emphasized the need to redress the “historical injustice against Africa” and to “ensure better African representation in a reformed Security Council in accordance with the Common African Position.”
India and the other three countries also expressed concern about intergovernmental negotiations since 2009, saying that “there has been virtually no progress in the discussions.”
“Even the discussions are considered informal and the rules of procedure of the UNGA do not apply. In eleven years, the situation has not changed. No attempt has been made to translate the discussions into a single consolidated text for the negotiations, ”the letter said.
“In fact, the [inter-governmental negotiations] The process has become a convenient smokescreen to hide behind for those who do not wish to see any reform in the Security Council. Consequently, it is necessary to guarantee that the process is not held hostage, in a procedural and substantial manner, by those who do not wish to achieve reform in the Security Council ”, he added.
“If this happens, and there are signs that this is already happening, those demanding reforms will be forced to look for other ways to achieve the same end abroad. [inter-governmental negotiations] process, ”he added.
The letter also highlighted the call by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on July 18 to reform the Security Council. He quoted him as saying: “Nations that rose to the top more than seven decades ago have refused to contemplate the reforms necessary to change power relations in international institutions … Inequality begins at the top: in global institutions.” .
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