Islamabad, In a recent statement made during the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform, Pakistan has aligned itself with the Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group, led by Italy. The statement, released by the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations, emphasizes Pakistan’s support for a comprehensive reform of the Security Council to make it more representative, democratic, transparent, effective, and accountable.
According to Pakistan Mission to United Nations, Pakistan congratulated the IGN co-chairs on their re-appointment and expressed commitment to constructive engagement for building upon the progress achieved in the previous IGN cycle. The reform, Pakistan asserts, should cater to the interests of all Member States and involve a patient exchange, mutual accommodation, and compromise to reduce points of divergence.
Pakistan, in agreement with the UfC group, stands against the expansion of permanent membership in the Security Council, advocating instead for additional non-permanent seats with equitable geographical representation. The UfC’s proposal for the creation of longer-term and/or re-electable seats is seen as a compromise to address the desire of some Member States to contribute more significantly to peace and security.
The statement also highlights the need for equitable geographical representation, noting that Europe is presently over-represented while Africa, Asia, and Latin America are under-represented. The UfC opposes adding more permanent members, as it would compound the Council’s paralysis and prevent representation of the majority of the UN’s smaller states.
On the issue of veto power, the UfC and Pakistan share the sentiment of many Member States calling for its abolition. The veto undermines the Council’s democracy and effectiveness, and extending it to more states would exacerbate inequality. The UfC proposes increasing the number of elected members as a way to balance the power of the veto.
In terms of the Council’s size, there seems to be convergence among Member States on enlarging it to the mid-twenties. The UfC also proposes measures to innovate the Council’s working methods, including more informal opportunities for Member States to interact with subsidiary bodies and more frequent briefings for non-Council members.
Pakistan does not believe that text-based negotiations will currently produce an agreed-upon outcome and stresses that any new process should avoid duplicating existing negotiating processes. The IGN remains the only acceptable platform for negotiating Security Council reform, and any language for the Summit of the Future (SOTF) should encapsulate the positions of all concerned groups and Member States without compromising any of them.