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New York UN

INTERVENTION BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, DURING THE PLENARY DEBATE ON THE QUESTION OF EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION ON AND INCREASE IN THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NEW YORK, 7 NOVEMBER 2017

7 October 2017

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Mr President,


1.                     I would like to thank you for convening this plenary debate very early in your presidency and for giving priority to the issue of UNSC reform. We welcome the active engagement of your Presidency in this important process.


2.                     I join previous speakers in congratulating Ambassador Kaha Imnadze of Georgia and Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates on their appointment as the new co-chairs of the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform. We are confident that they will continue to lead the work of the IGN in an inclusive, transparent and efficient manner, and that we will make progress under their leadership.


3.                     We would also like to place on record our appreciation to former Co-Chairs, Ambassador Ion Jinga of Romania, and Ambassador Mohamed Khaled Khiari of Tunisia. Their excellent work at the last round of IGN negotiations culminated in an important paper on the elements of commonality and issues for further consideration. I commend both of them for their leadership and their hard work. The paper that they prepared builds on the work of the IGN over the last two years. Together with the framework document and the elements of convergence paper, their latest paper provides a good foundation for our work in the IGN at the 72nd General Assembly session.    


Mr President,


4.                     As we resume another year of negotiations under the IGN process, it is important to keep in mind a few facts. The IGN started its work in 2009. And before the IGN process, the Open-Ended Working Group was launched in 1993. In other words, we have been discussing the issue for a quarter of a century, as many other speakers have mentioned. No one expects that this difficult issue can be resolved overnight. But it is neither reasonable nor credible to expect the IGN process to continue for another quarter of a century without any results to show.


5.                     Let me put it starkly: Is the IGN process a help or a hindrance to the reform process? The answer to this question depends on whether the IGN process is able to deliver concrete progress. If the IGN process is able to demonstrate progress, it will be regarded with respect and credibility. However, if the IGN is not able to deliver progress, there will be serious questions about the value of continuing the IGN process.


Mr President,


6.                     If we are serious about reforming the Security Council, we need to inject a greater urgency in our work and aim to get to a real negotiating process. We cannot treat this process as an annual ritual for rhetoric, so as to keep delegations busy and preoccupied. Ultimately, UNSC reform is the key to maintaining the relevance and credibility of the UN system as a whole. If the UNSC continues to operate as business-as-usual, it will be unable to deal effectively with the intractable challenges that we all face in today’s complex global environment. As a small state, Singapore is a firm advocate and defender of a rules-based multilateral system. The role of the Security Council is critical in such a system. That is why we attach great importance to the IGN process, because we want a transparent, accountable, and effective Security Council. As a small state, we do not stand to benefit directly from any particular model of reform or Security Council expansion. What we seek is a strengthening of the multilateral system.


Mr President,


7.                     Singapore’s position on UNSC reform is clear. First, we believe in making the Council more representative and inclusive. We support an expanded membership in both the permanent and non-permanent categories in the Council.  This is necessary, in our view, if we are to ensure that the composition of the Council embodies the diverse membership of the UN as it exists today.  Second, reform should make the Council more accountable, transparent and inclusive for all member states. In particular, the reform process should not disadvantage small states from seeking election to the Security Council. For many small countries like Singapore, this is necessary as we do not have many opportunities to serve in the Council. Third, our work must make the Council more effective to deal with the many challenges it faces today. What we all need and what we expect as Singapore, is a Security Council that can act swiftly and decisively, when confronted with global crises. What we do not want is a Security Council that is paralysed by political divisions or prevented from taking action by the use of the veto. 


Mr President,


8.                     As we embark on a new IGN session, we need to build on the excellent work of the previous Co-Chairs and sustain the momentum for progress. The paper prepared by the Co-Chairs at the last IGN session was an important outcome as it identified in one consolidated document the key elements of commonality in all the five clusters of issues mandated under GA decision 62/557 and it also listed out other issues that merit further reflection and discussion. We need to use this paper to take our work forward. Allow me to make some suggestions, which may help to guide our work in the coming session.


9.                     First, we need to look at the elements of commonality afresh and identify areas where we can acknowledge the progress already made. For example, some of the “elements of convergence”, relating to the working methods of the Security Council and its relationship with the General Assembly, are already being implemented, such as the increased number of open meetings of the Council, the regular meetings between the President of the Security Council and the President of the General Assembly, and the submission of annual reports by the Security Council. In this regard, we welcome the adoption of the revised UNSC Presidential Note 507 which builds on previous Security Council efforts to improve its working methods, enhance its efficiency and transparency, as well as interaction and dialogue with non-Council members and bodies. There is scope for the General Assembly to acknowledge and formalise these improvements such that they become standard work procedures, rather than ad hoc, informal measures taken by the Security Council.  In our view, there are some practical steps that we can take now, without any UN Charter amendments, to improve the practices of the Security Council.


10.                Second, we should continue our discussions on the identified issues for further consideration. There will naturally be different points of view and perspectives. But this should not preclude us from having an open and frank discussion on them. We should attempt to narrow differences and try to broaden the elements of commonality, and hopefully include new areas of convergence. In this regard, we would support getting into substantive negotiations, by putting ideas and proposals on paper and having a focussed debate on these ideas and proposals.


11.                Third, we should revisit some of the issues where there was strong support but were not eventually included in the paper prepared by the Co-Chairs last year as a point of commonality.  One issue that could be considered for inclusion as a point of commonality is the growing support for the limitation of the use of the veto in cases of mass atrocity.  A majority of member states support this proposal.  And as far as we recall, no particular delegation had expressly objected to this proposal at the last IGN session. In our view, we should take an inclusive approach and work to improve the Co-Chairs’ paper with new points of commonality, particularly when there is strong support for them.


Mr President,


12.                We have made some suggestions in order to advance progress in the IGN process.  As we have said many times over, the imperative for Security Council reform remains more real than ever before. We need to accelerate the pace of our work to achieve early and meaningful reforms. My delegation will work with you, as well as the two new Co-Chairs and other delegations to advance the reform agenda, and to make the Security Council more open, accountable, effective, and inclusive.


I thank you very much, Mr President.


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