THE UN General Assembly has initiated discussions on Security Council reforms, with Pakistan asserting that the lack of consensus among permanent members hindered the Council’s ability to address the Gaza conflict. In the debate that began on Thursday, Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram blamed the Council’s five permanent members for frequent failures to respond effectively to conflicts, particularly in Gaza. General Assembly President Dennis Francis also echoed the urgency for reform, amid conflicts raging in Ukraine and Gaza.
The brutal aggression of Israel against Palestinian people in Gaza has underlined the need and urgency of the UN reforms which are there on the agenda of the world body but consensus is evading due to the self-centred attitude of some world powers. Pakistan’s envoy has rightly pointed out that the primary reason for the Council’s frequent failure to respond effectively…is the inability of its permanent members to agree on decisive action. Regrettably, as before, the Jewish State is not paying any heed to the will of the international community as reflected by not just speeches and statements emanating from the world capitals but also numerous resolutions of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly. In fact, there are reasons to believe that the veto power is the main obstacle in the way of making the UN a genuine and unbiased guarantor of global peace and security. Pakistan supports reforms, but opposes adding new permanent members, as demanded by Brazil, Germany, India and Japan. Ambassador Akram argued against this, stating it would statistically reduce representation for the rest of the member states. He added that the aspirants would be unaccountable and seek to advance their own national interests. However, Pakistan supports adding longer-term seats to the 15-member Security Council if done equitably. Any country seeking a more frequent presence on the Security Council should do so by subjecting itself to the democratic process of periodic election by the General Assembly. The kind of reforms proposed by Pakistan offers the most appropriate option to make the UN a potent force, able to enforce its decisions in conflict situations.
