STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR ALBERT CHUA, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON BEHALF OF THE S-5 GROUP, ON AGENDA ITEM 122, ON THE QUESTION OF EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION ON AND INCREASE IN THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND RELATED MATTERS, 8 NOVEMBER 2011

STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR ALBERT CHUA, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON BEHALF OF THE S-5 GROUP, ON AGENDA ITEM 122, ON THE QUESTION OF EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION ON AND INCREASE IN THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND RELATED MATTERS, 8 NOVEMBER 2011  

Mr President,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the S-5 group, comprising Costa Rica, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Singapore and Switzerland.

UNSC Reform Efforts

2 It has been more than two decades since the end of the Cold War and when talk of reforming the Security Council gathered pace. Since then, the UN membership has increased by nearly 20% and the complexities of maintaining international peace and security have multiplied. The need for a more representative and effective Council only continues to grow. We all risk irrelevance if the Council, a leading organ of the UN, does not evolve to reflect the realities of the 21st century.

3 It is difficult to strike a balance between representation and efficacy. The protracted reform negotiations attest to this; seven rounds of Intergovernmental Negotiations have come and gone without any progress. Other initiatives such as the informal Group of Friends convened by the former President of the General Assembly to discuss ways forward have not made headway due to the lack of political will for reform. We urge Chairman Ambassador Zahir Tanin to persevere. We also urge the relevant parties to break the deadlock over other issues.

Focusing on Working Methods

Mr President,

4 We must remain steadfast in our efforts to agree on a comprehensive reform of the Council, covering all five aspects of the Intergovernmental Negotiations. It will take considerable time to bridge the fundamental divergences of opinion on the five areas of reform, but this does not mean that nothing can be done now to make the Council more inclusive, transparent, accountable and effective. Basic changes in the Council's working methods would make a practical difference and substantially benefit all Member States. It will make the Council more nimble in the face of new and evolving realities.

5 This is why the S-5 has consistently advocated improvement in the Council's working methods, independently and without prejudice to the other aspects of Council reform. In the absence of agreement on comprehensive Council reform, we should not shy away from picking the low hanging fruit, and not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

6 The Council has taken some steps to improve its working methods, which the S-5 welcomes and further encourages. The revised Note 507 issued by the Council last year indicates its continued willingness to make serious progress on working methods. But these steps are not enough. The current implementation of the measures contained in both the original and the revised Notes 507 remain inconsistent and unsatisfactory.

7 In this regard, the S-5 has circulated a text on "Improving the working methods of the Security Council", as a follow-up to the draft resolution that we had issued in 2006. Our text sets out specific measures for the improvement of working methods, which the Council should either continue to implement on a regular basis, or could consider adopting. We have held open consultations about the text, and have taken onboard many good suggestions from Member States. Our text puts forward suggestions on enhancing the relationship between the Council and the General Assembly; evaluating outcomes of past decisions, and improving the drafting of mandates for operations to increase the Council's effectiveness; increasing the transparency of and Member States' involvement in the work of subsidiary bodies; augmenting the Council's governance and accountability; consulting more widely in appointing the Secretary-General; and providing greater transparency when the veto is exercised. We believe that these contents command the support of many Member States.

Conclusion

Mr President,

8 The S5 believes that the Security Council, as master of its own procedures, can take decisive steps to continue improving its working methods. We hope that the members of the Council will seriously consider the suggestions we have put forward in our text, and we stand ready to engage with them. The S5 also looks forward to continued engagement with the wider UN membership not just on the text, but on the improvement of the Council's working methods in general.

Thank you.

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