Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council

– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72^nd Session of the UN General Assembly, at Plenary session to adopt the draft oral decision under agenda item “Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters”

Excellencies, dear colleagues,

We have come to the end of another session of intergovernmental negotiations.

At our first meeting last February, I called for a credible process, which can lead us to a meaningful outcome.

Today, I want to reflect on whether we have achieved this.

And in doing so, I will focus on three key areas.

First: inclusivity and credibility.

One is usually linked to the other.

I want to start by pointing out the vast range of Member States we have heard from.

Big and small, developing and developed, from the Global South and the Global North… Countries with different languages, cultures, and positions.

So, I do believe this truly was an inclusive process.

And, I think the credibility lay in the dialogue. It seemed clear to me that this process is one we still believe in.

I’m not saying there was not cynicism. Or that everyone saw eye to eye.

But I heard genuine efforts to understand each other’s points. Creative proposals were made, across all five key areas. And there was flexibility shown, as Member States looked for common positions, which could move this process along.

If there is space for dialogue, there is a possibility of progress. And I thank you all for maintaining that space.

The second thing I want to reflect on is our outcome.

As I mentioned, in February I expressed my hope that we would arrive at a meaningful outcome.

Well, now we are here, at our last meeting.

And we do have an outcome.

It is different to former documents; we did not start from scratch, in drafting it.

But only you can judge whether it is meaningful or not.

It is your product.

And you will be the ones to decide its significance, going forward.

All I can say is that I hope we can find a way to build on our work.

Thirdly, I want to comment on the importance of this process.

And, maybe “importance” is an under-statement here. Because, it does not quite capture the urgency of our task.

This process is about you, the Member States. You drive it. You participate in it. And you decide where it goes.

But, outside this room, the entire world is watching.

And that is one of the major lessons I have learned, as President of the General Assembly

Everywhere I have travelled – from Southeast Asia to Africa – I faced questions about this reform process. What will happen next? When will we see change? What will a new Council look like?

These are not questions for me to answer.

Where we go, the way we get there and the speed we travel at all of these things are up to you.

But one thing this experience has shown me is that the United Nations is judged by the performance of its Security Council.

This means that everything this Organisation does– from humanitarian response to SDG implementation – is at stake. Because, if people lose faith in the United Nations, they will also lose faith in its work – no matter the results on the ground. And this could undermine our entire system.

So, essentially, the future of this Organisation lies in your hands.

Before I conclude, I want to express my deep gratitude to our co-chairs: Ambassador Imnadze and Ambassador Nusseibeh.

The level of work required from them, and their teams, was like taking on a second day job. Yet they carried out their roles with commitment and good humour – while always maintaining the highest level of transparency.

Excellencies, dear colleagues,

As we close this IGN session, my final message is this:

Throughout everything we do, there are two major things at stake. And they both begin with the letter P.

The first is Process. This is one of the most sensitive international processes going on, today. Every word matters. We need to do it right. We cannot steamroll through it. Because only a strong process can have a strong outcome.

But the second P stands for People. They are the reason why the United Nations, and its Security Council, were created.

It is people who stand to benefit, from what we are doing here. And it is people who stand to lose, if we go nowhere.

So, this is a political process. But, it should never come at the expense of people.

They are out there. They are watching. And they are counting on us.

So, I thank you all again -and I wish you luck in the work ahead.