NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 16 – The wars in Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas have highlighted the need for “progress in negotiations” on the reform of the Security Council. Among the Countries at the forefront emphasizing its importance is once again Italy, which, on behalf of the Uniting for Consensus group, intervened today at the opening of the inaugural session of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on the reform, which saw the participation of all UN members.
“The UfC group is strongly convinced of the need for progress in negotiations. Recent developments have shown how urgent the need for reform is and how it should no longer be postponed. However, we stress that we do not want reform at any price. This is not an easy undertaking and a solution to move the process forward cannot be improvised or fast-tracked. We cannot afford to make mistakes.
We have to aim at a comprehensive reform that would make the UNSC truly representative, democratic, accountable, transparent, effective and adaptable over time. In particular, we need to strengthen the voice of underrepresented regions”, said Massari. In his – and in UfC – opinion, if success is genuinely desired in this endeavor, compromises must be reached, and he assured that the group will continue to show flexibility.
“Our proposal of longer-term, re-electable seats stems from the understanding that some Member States, irrespective of their size, legitimately desire to make a greater contribution to the work of the Council, and have the means to do so. At the same time – he explained – increasing the number of two year-term non-permanent seats stems from the understanding that a fairer system of rotation in the Council is critically needed.”
Italy opposes the increase in permanent members, which would generate further discrimination. Differences persist among various groups and even among the P5 (USA, Russia, China, France, and Great Britain), with Washington wanting to expand the body to both categories, Paris defending the right of veto, London wanting to expand the UNSC involving India, Japan, Brazil, and Germany as permanent members, while Moscow and Beijing remain cautious without leaning too much in any direction. (@OnuItalia)
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