NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 5 – In view of the most recent developments, with important processes in the UN Security Council blocked by vetoes, Italy today expressed strong support to all initiatives aimed at self-restraining the exercise of this power – such as the French-Mexican initiative and the ACT Code of Conduct. “This is also the reason why we do not support the expansion of the Security Council in the category of Permanent Members, as it would generate additional veto powers and further discrimination among permanent and non-permanent members”, the Italian Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, told an open debate on Security Council Working Methods.
“A more transparent and functional Security Council is an absolute need in order to regain the trust of the public opinion in the capacity of the United Nations to ensure international peace and security”, said Massari, stressing the need for “a fairer and more balanced distribution of duties and co/penholderships among Security Council members”.
Italy, who represents the group Uniting for Consensus in the framework of the GA Intergovernamental Negotiations (IGN) on the UNSC reform, suggested the importance of an increased cooperation between the Council and the Peacebuilding Commission. Massari also strongly supported the practice of inviting briefers from the civil society to the Council meetings, ensuring adequate women’s participation and greater gender inclusivity and equality, in order to allow the Council members to hear different voices and points of view before deliberating: “It is disappointing that in 2023 fewer women than usual were invited to brief the Council and we command the Albanian Presidency for the attention and dedication to the WPS Agenda, also through the commitment to a strong female civil society representatives’ involvement in the programmed briefings during the current month of September”. (@OnuItalia)
