Qatar has reiterated its commitment to actively participate in the negotiation on United Nations Security Council’s reforms stressing the importance of imperative dialogue and openness to face the current and growing challenges with a Security Council representing the whole world.
The Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN, H E Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, while addressing the plenary meeting of UN General Assembly on the ‘Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters Related to the Security Council’ said that the reform process aims to achieve the goals and purposes of the UN Charter, adding that any violation of the Charter weakens the role of the UN, undermines the credibility of its organs and affects international efforts to strengthen mechanism for the maintenance of international peace and security.
The clamour for the Security Council reforms has been going on for several years and Qatar has played a major role in promoting the dialogue process as in 2017 the state hosted the Doha Retreat on Security Council Reform with the participation of the Council’s member states and states’ representatives from all groups.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has made proposals to reform the world body since the beginning of his term in January 2017. He said: “The goal of reform is a 21st century United Nations focused more on people and less on process, more on delivery and less on bureaucracy. The true test of reform will be measured in tangible results in the lives of people we serve and the trust of those who support our work.”
The Security Council was established in 1945 and ever since the geopolitical realities have undergone a sea change, but the Council has changed very little. The victors of the Second World War envisaged the UN Charter in their national interest assigning themselves the permanent seats and associated veto power among themselves.
Since the formation, the veto power has drawn criticism at several critical junctures. Ambassador H E Sheikha Alya reiterated Qatar’s position, which affirms that the veto is a central issue to the Council’s reform process, saying that experience had shown that restricting or refraining from using it help prevent serious crimes.
Under the modern geopolitical situation there are several countries which deserve more say in the international affairs and the small and island countries should get a better treatment. Bringing in changes to the Security Council is not an easy process. It can be done only through frank and sincere efforts with laborious negotiations and by reaching a consensus by the member states. Any amendment to the UN Charter can come into force only after its adoption by the vote of two thirds of the members of the UN General Assembly and ratified in accordance with their respective constitutional processes by two thirds of the UN members, including the permanent members of the Security Council.
