STATEMENT BY H.E. KAREN TAN, AMBASSADOR AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE AT THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE PLENARY ON THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS ON SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM, 11 FEBRUARY 2015
11 February 2015
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Thank you Mr Chairman,
1. At the outset, I would like to thank Amb Zahir Tanin for his tireless dedication, perseverance, patience as well as for all his leadership, hard work and efforts over the past six years.
2. Mr Chairman, I would also like to join previous speakers in congratulating you on your appointment as Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform. As you take over the mantle from Amb Tanin, let me assure you of the full support and cooperation of the Singapore delegation. Needless to say, we are happy to see a fellow small state in the Chair. We are confident that under your able and astute leadership, we will break new ground and make progress in this important year when the UN is celebrating its 70th anniversary.
Mr Chairman,
3. Let me thank you for taking the initiative to convene this meeting to give Member States an opportunity to hear each other’s thoughts and views on the work ahead and to have an exchange of views on how best to structure our work in advance of the Intergovernmental negotiations.
4. As we deliberate yet again on this important question of Security Council reform, my delegation would like to make some general observations which we hope will contribute to the discussions and guide our work.
5. First, we need to pursue our work with a greater sense of urgency as we approach the UN’s 7th decade. In a few months, we will mark the 15th anniversary of the UN Millennium Declaration, a document which includes a promise by Member States to reform the Security Council. We have not fulfilled that promise. It is time for us to reflect on the changes that have taken place since the establishment of the UN. When the organisation was created 70 years ago, there were only 53 members. We now number 193 and live in a completely different world with new and more intractable challenges to peace and security. We cannot afford to delay taking concrete and bold actions to make the UNSC more relevant, effective, accountable and transparent.
6. Second, we need to prioritise our work. We should guard against making the “perfect”, the enemy of the “good”. While we can and ought to have a frank and open discussion on all issues of interest to different delegations, there is a need to take a pragmatic approach and identify key issues where we can realise tangible progress. In our view, there are some practical steps that we can take now, without any UN Charter amendments, and/or linking them to overall progress under the IGN, to improve the practices of the current Council. The Council must avoid introducing legal and technical obstacles to stymie progress with a view to preserving the status quo. The IGN process can and must make progress in areas where there is strong support from the UN membership.
7. Third, even as we work to prioritise issues where we can make early progress, we should not ignore the seemingly difficult issues that really matter, particularly when they affect the ability of the Council to act. One key issue that the IGN would have to address is the use of the veto. Through the veto, the P5 have the power to block decisions intended to protect civilians, prevent genocide, and end crimes against humanity. More worryingly, the decision of one Permanent Member to cast a veto prevents all Member States from helping those most in need, as they are expected to comply with the Council’s decisions. The world is confronted with worsening violence, atrocities and humanitarian crises. An impotent Council paralysed by the use of the veto is unable to discharge its responsibility to maintain international peace and stability. We need to honestly ask: has the continued use of the veto in its present form been harmful or beneficial? Clearly, the IGN would have to discuss this and other difficult issues.
8. France proposed a Code of Conduct on the use of the veto in October 2013. During the last General Assembly, a high level event was organised to discuss this issue. We look forward to France’s update on the progress on the proposed Code of Conduct and its implementation. More details are needed. Is the Code of Conduct binding? And are the Permanent Members united in recognising the need for such a Code of Conduct? We look forward to receiving more information from France and to starting a substantive discussion on the Code of Conduct with a view to making the UNSC more responsive to the many security challenges at hand. However, we hope that discussions on the Code of Conduct will not degenerate into yet another futile, never-ending public relations exercise in posturing and filibustering, in favour of preserving the status quo. Privileges come with responsibilities. And the P5 have a duty to discharge their responsibilities fully and responsibly. For starters, the P5 should refrain from using the veto to block Council action aimed at preventing or ending genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Mr Chairman,
9. As you know, reform of the working methods of the current Security Council and those of a future enlarged Council are critical to small states like Singapore. Not only is it challenging for small states to be elected as non-permanent members in the current Council, we will also not obtain a permanent seat in a reformed Security Council. As such, enhancing the transparency and accountability of the Security Council to the General Assembly is particularly important for small states.
10. Accordingly, we have a keen interest in seeing progress at the IGN in this area. We welcome all proposals and initiatives that can move negotiations forward. We urge the proponents of all such initiatives to promulgate them as soon as possible so that we achieve tangible results by the time of the UN’s 70th UNGA.
11. As we enter the 11th round of the IGN, we hope that genuine progress in negotiations can be made. It must be progress that can be measured in actions and decisions rather than self-congratulatory words and speeches. In this regard, we hope that a way can be found in the IGN to move towards text-based negotiations. We are mindful that the 70th anniversary of the UN, and the 15th anniversary of the Millennium Declaration are fast approaching. The world is watching. Let us not disappoint them and ourselves again.
12. We look forward to actively participating in the IGN process and we hope that its outcome will serve to make the UNSC more “fit for purpose” to deal with the many critical challenges facing us today.
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