Mr. President,
I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the Permanent Mission of India for convening this open debate of the Security Council. In light of ongoing global challenges, it is indeed timely.
We express our appreciation to H.E. Dr. S. Jaishankar, Hon’ble External Affairs Minister of India for chairing today’s debate. We thank the SG and the PGA for their insightful briefing this morning.
Mr. President,
The world today confronts multiple complex and multi-dimensional challenges like climate change, conflict, the food, energy and financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. These challenges and in particular, conflict in Ukraine have shaken the very foundations of international peace and security. Our common hope for peace and development is in jeopardy.
As an ardent supporter of multilateralism, Bangladesh considers the UN as the center of people’s hopes and aspirations at this crossroad of history. We believe, our interconnected challenges can only be addressed through reinvigorated multilateralism.
Mr. President,
As the most representative multilateral forum of the world, the UN needs to be further strengthened to meet the twenty-first century challenges.
Allow me to highlight few points in this regard:
First, we have been repeating this again and again that the time is ripe to reform the UN’s most powerful organ- the Security Council. There is no debate on the need for the Security Council reform. We all agree that the Council’s membership and structure is not in tune with the current realities on the ground. The last time the Council underwent reforms was 57 years back! In order for it to be fully representative, relevant, effective, democratic, transparent and fit for purpose, it must be reformed. Unfortunately, we have spent far too long on the question of Security Council reform. We must do something now, and something that is concrete.
We believe that there should be enlargement in both categories of membership of the Council. As for the size, anything in the range of mid-twenties would perhaps do justice to the larger membership. Due representation of all regions and groups of membership, question of judicious use of veto and the call for text-based negation warrants due consideration. In this regard, we also note the necessity of inclusivity and in depth dialogue among member states.
Second, the General Assembly is a symbol and demonstration of multilateralism. Its work better reflects the will of the world’s peoples than does the Security Council. We stress the need for a much bolder and more decisive approach in order to bring the General Assembly closer to the people. In this regard the revitalization of the work of GA remains an integral part of the wider efforts of reforming the United Nations as a whole.
We all have to do our part to preserve the inter-governmental, inclusive, consultative and democratic nature of the GA. It is important to bridge the power gap between the General Assembly and the Security Council as a matter of priority. Member States need to devise an effective mechanism to assess the implementation of GA resolutions. We need to seek more innovations to ensure the central role of the UN and to secure that the voices of the general members be heard on important and urgent global issues.
Aligning the GA agenda with the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, eliminating duplication and overlap and promoting complementarity of related issues and further reform of the working methods of the General Assembly and its main Committees are priorities for us.
Third, we subscribe to the initiative aimed at proper implementation of the UN Charter with respect to the functional relationship between its main organs, in particular the GA and the ECOSOC. It is imperative to enhance synergy, coherence and complementarity among the agendas of the Assembly and its Committees, the ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies. Interaction with the Security Council also must be improved.
Forth, we reiterate the importance of the reforms of other multilateral institutions such as International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB), World Trade Organization (WTO), World Health Organization (WHO), with a view to enhancing its capacity to effectively address the diverse challenges of our time and to adapt them to twenty-first century realities with particular focus on the developing countries.
Finally, Mr. President, There cannot be more significant reasons than the current global realities that dictate the urgency of the reform of the United Nations, including the security council, so we can best deliver for those we serve. If we cannot do the most needed reforms now, we may not need to do it ever.
I thank you.