United Nations General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman intends to lead efforts to advance reform of the Security Council, a process that has remained stalled for nearly two decades, his spokesperson Melissa Summers has said.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Summers said Rahman would work through the existing Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process, which is mandated by the General Assembly and remains ongoing.
“He will follow the intergovernmental negotiation (IGN) process (for reform), which is mandated and ongoing,” she said.
“He intends to lead the Assembly clearly in this process, and follow the wishes and desires of the groups and the member states,” Summers added.
Asked whether Rahman planned to take specific steps to accelerate the reform process, Summers said the Assembly president “emphasises the need for action in all of his priorities”, but declined to provide further details.
Calls for reform of the Security Council have intensified in recent years, with member states arguing that its current structure does not adequately reflect changes in global geopolitics since the Council was established in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Africa’s demand for greater representation, including permanent seats, was a prominent theme during the recent high-level segment of the General Assembly.
Summers said Rahman had been direct in his support for greater African representation.
“He spoke very candidly about Africa’s need for representation. He is very clear on this,” she said.
At the opening of the high-level meeting last week, Rahman called for a Security Council that is “more representative, transparent and reflective of the geopolitical realities of our time”.
“Ensuring fair representation for underrepresented regions must remain a priority and nowhere is this more important, right now, than in Africa,” he said.
“After eight decades,” Rahman said, “the largest region by number of Member States and a key focus of UN Peacekeeping, remains underrepresented on the Security Council. Africa needs to be at the table, not on the menu.”
The issue received support from countries across regions during the high-level meeting, with a majority of speakers calling for Security Council reform and backing Africa’s demand for a stronger role.
The African Union has long called for two permanent seats and additional non-permanent seats for the continent under the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration.
India, which has also been seeking a permanent seat on the Security Council, has repeatedly expressed support for permanent representation for Africa.
At Africa Day celebrations in August, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India was a “strong votary of Africa’s rightful place in a reformed United Nations Security Council”.
“We similarly seek your support to ensure India’s permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council,” he added.
The Security Council currently has 15 members, including five permanent members with veto power: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The remaining 10 members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
Reform of the Council requires broad agreement among UN member states and amendments to the UN Charter, making the issue particularly complex and politically sensitive.
Rahman’s stated intention to lead the Assembly on the issue places the ongoing IGN process at the centre of renewed efforts to address the long-standing question of Security Council representation.
