STATEMENT BY DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE JOPHIE TANG AT THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS ON SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM, 16 MARCH 2022

1 Co-Chairs, the “size of an enlarged Security Council and working methods of the Council” and “the relationship between the Council and the General Assembly” are important issues that relate directly to the effectiveness, transparency and accountability of the Security Council.  There has been some modest progress in the IGN on these issues in recent years, and my delegation hopes to see more progress in terms of identifying further convergences that can be elaborated upon if possible.

2 With regard to the size of an enlarged Security Council, my delegation supports the language in the 2021 Co-Chairs’ Elements Paper, which reflects the broad consensus that the size of an enlarged Council should be in the mid-20s within an overall range of 21-27 seats.  This language is worded in a manner that does not prejudge the position of any country or any eventual outcome that may emerge from our discussions on the interlinked issues of “categories of membership” and “regional representation”.  The key for my delegation would be to ensure a balance between the representativeness and effectiveness of an enlarged Council. 

3 On the working methods of the Council, there has generally been strong interest and support in the IGN to improve the Council’s working methods, certainly from among the wider membership.  There has also been some good work done in terms of making progress on increasing the transparency in the work of the Council and its subsidiary bodies.  But the journey towards greater transparency is an ongoing one.  Improvements in the Council’s working methods will benefit every member of the UN and ensure that the Council is operating effectively and transparently, and that it is as accountable as possible.  There also continues to be a need for a more sustained and genuine dialogue between the Council and the wider membership on improving working methods.  My delegation maintains our long-held view that the Council’s working methods and rules of procedure should not be informal or ad-hoc, but should be formalised so that they are transparent to all Member States, especially to the wider UN membership. 

4 That said, my delegation welcomes the positive steps that have been taken to improve the working methods of the Council in recent years, in particular with regard to increasing its transparency and engagement of non-members and other bodies.  We appreciate the work done by the Informal Working Group on Documentation and other Procedural Questions under the leadership of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines last year.  We hope to see the IWG making some substantive progress under Albania’s leadership in further developing and revising Presidential Note 507 in the coming year.

5 On the relationship between the Security Council and the General Assembly, my delegation welcomes the improved communication and flow of information between the Council and the General Assembly.  This has helped to increase the understanding of, participation in and access to the Council’s work by non-members.  We are encouraged by this progress and by the increased transparency we have seen in the work of the Council.  But transparency is not an end in and of itself.  It is a means to promoting greater accountability and more effective action by the Council, which will in turn strengthen the legitimacy of the Council.  From our perspective, greater transparency must be accompanied by greater engagement between the Council and the General Assembly.   

6 We would like to make two points in this regard.  First, we welcome the Council’s timely submission of its annual report to the General Assembly, and look forward to its continued adherence to this new timeline for all future annual reports.  We would however, like to see more analytical and substantive annual reports that can form the basis of a more meaningful and engaged discussion in the General Assembly on the work of the Security Council.

7 Second, the conduct of the Secretary-General’s selection and appointment process is a very important aspect of the relationship and cooperation between the Security Council and the General Assembly.  We therefore think it would be useful for this point to be elaborated on in the Co-Chairs’ Elements Paper with a view to building greater convergence.  The discussion of this issue in the IGN must take place in parallel with the discussion that is ongoing in the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalisation of the Work of the General Assembly.

.    .    .    .    .