General Assembly Session 60 meeting 50

Mr. Oshima (Japan)

We condemn terrorism in all its forms, whenever and wherever it occurs. Please allow me at the outset to express Japan's sympathy and deep condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in connection with the recent tragedy caused by the heinous terrorist attacks in Amman.

As we intensify our efforts on some critical issues in the implementation of the 2005 World Summit Outcome, such as the Peacebuilding Commission, the Human Rights Council, and management reform, under the strong and able leadership of Mr. Eliasson, my delegation looks forward to seeing him demonstrate the same leadership in guiding us on another major issue, that of reform of the Security Council, further building on what was achieved under his predecessor, Foreign Minister Jean Ping of Gabon, during the previous session.

My delegation wishes also to acknowledge with thanks the tireless efforts and important contributions made by Ambassadors Paulette Bethel of the Bahamas and Christian Wenaweser of Liechtenstein, as co-Vice-Chairpersons of the Open-ended Working Group.

My delegation attaches great importance to this joint debate on the two items under consideration -- the annual report on the activities of the Security Council and reform of the Security Council -- as it provides a timely and useful opportunity to reflect on the way forward on the key issues involved here, namely the Security Council's structural reform and improvement of its working methods.

First, I wish to touch briefly on the annual report that was presented by Ambassador Andrey Denisov of the Russian Federation, the President of the Council, to whom I wish to express our appreciation. Japan, as a serving member on the Council for this year and next, welcomes the report. The report covers the full range of the Council's activities, which have become increasingly diverse and complex, reflecting the new challenges facing today's world in the area of peace and security.

Since Japan has the honour to serve as the Chair of the Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations established within the Council, I wish to add a few words to supplement the section dealing with peacekeeping operations. As the report succinctly states, the Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations has been trying to be more proactive in its work in order to ensure a more focused debate and closer attention to key issues through, first, more frequent meetings with troop-contributing countries, major financial contributors and other stakeholders to improve cooperation and understanding among key actors; secondly, timely and focused debates on certain thematic issues of major concern, such as sexual exploitation and abuse in the context of specific United Nations peacekeeping missions; and, thirdly, improved information-sharing and coordination of work between the Council's Working Group and the General Assembly's Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations to achieve the complementary relationship that should exist between the two bodies. This is very much a work in progress, and I intend to follow it through with the cooperation of all those actively involved in the work of peacekeeping operations.

I might mention in this connection that I have just concluded a field mission, in my capacity as Chairman of the Working Group and with the backing of the Council, to Ethiopia and Eritrea. I met with the representatives of the mission deployed there -- the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) -- and the troop-contributing countries, as well as military commanders, in order to be apprised firsthand of the worrisome situation that is developing along the border. I am reporting my findings back to the Council and its Working Group.

Reform of the Security Council, in terms of expanding its membership and improving its working methods, is long overdue. World leaders recognized that fact in their Millennium Declaration five years ago, and they have done so again this year in a clearer and more definitive way in the outcome document.

As we are repeatedly reminded, the challenges that today face the United Nations as a whole and the Security Council in particular are vastly different from those of 1945. The basic structure and composition of the Security Council, however, essentially continues to reflect the world as it was 60 years ago. To be effective, it must be changed to better reflect the realities of today's world. In recognition of this, our leaders affirmed, at the world summit in September, that early reform of the Security Council is an essential element of our overall efforts to reform the United Nations. The primordial task for Member States now is to act and deliver on that conviction in the form of concrete solutions.

First, we have advocated the expansion of the Security Council to reflect the realities of the twenty-first century, with the inclusion, on a permanent basis, of Member States that have the manifest will and real capacity to take on a major role in the maintenance of international peace and security. That position has come to be shared by a large number of Member States. This must happen if the Security Council is to remain effective and relevant. Few disagree with the logic and rationale for such action. In 1946, for example, approximately 70 per cent of the budget resources required by the Organization came from the Permanent Five members, which thus provided a solid power base for making decisions and ensuring that those decisions would be implemented effectively.

In 2005, by contrast, that percentage has declined to only about 37 per cent of the Organization's current regular budget and to about 45 per cent of its peacekeeping operations budget. This significant shift in the balance of power and resources -- among other factors -- calls for and justifies an expansion of the Council's membership that will truly enhance the effectiveness of its collective action. Expansion will also have to be carried out in ways that will maintain the efficiency of the Council's work.

Secondly, and no less important, improving the working methods of the Security Council has been an important concern for all Member States, small and large, and that too must be addressed. We acknowledge and welcome certain progress made in recent years in the Security Council, but more needs to be done. To that end, we believe that three things must go together.

First, the General Assembly has a legitimate role in seeking improvement of the Council's working methods, as it has indeed tried to do for more than a decade through the Open-ended Working Group that it established under resolution 48/26. Unfortunately, those deliberations have so far failed to produce tangible, agreed results. The time has come, however, to exert real effort to harvest what can now be harvested in that regard. At the same time, we must effect changes in the Council's composition, demonstrating our collective pragmatism and flexibility in the pursuit of our common commitment.

Another key factor related to achieving improvement in the Security Council's working methods is the direct responsibility of the Council itself. As master of its own rules and procedures under the provisions of the Charter, the Council is responsible for any decision in that area. That being recognized, we believe that the Council is expected to act and to do more in response to the concerns of a large portion of the General Assembly membership. In that regard, reactivation of the Council's informal working group on documentation and other procedural questions should be considered, among other measures, as a step towards achieving improvement in its working methods. All members of the Council must be engaged on this matter, but we expect greater responsiveness and activism from the five permanent members because of their special role and the responsibility incumbent upon them by reason of their permanent status and the privileges and influence associated with it.

Thirdly, we believe that an expansion of the Council's membership, particularly of the permanent category, would also be a relevant and important -- albeit indirect -- factor in bringing about changes and improvements in the Council's working methods, including by breathing new life into its modus operandi, because its impact would no doubt be felt.

With regard to changing the structure and composition of the Security Council, we believe that we achieved quite significant progress during the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly, as partly reflected in the 2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1). Particularly noteworthy is the fact that for the first time in the Organization's history, several draft resolutions were submitted to the Assembly calling for significant changes in the Council's composition.

The group of four countries -- Brazil, Germany, India and Japan -- supported by many other sponsors, submitted a draft resolution (A/59/L.64) on Security Council reform that includes expansion in the permanent and the non-permanent categories. That effort, together with other subsequent actions -- including, notably, by the African States -- has created a momentum in the General Assembly in New York and in world capitals for fundamental structural reform of the Security Council on a scale unprecedented in recent United Nations history.

The efforts made by the group of four and the other sponsors enjoyed the broad support of Member States, and we would like to take this opportunity to express once again Japan's heartfelt appreciation to those who have supported our efforts. I wish in particular to express, on behalf of my Government, our sincere thanks to all those countries that have expressed their support for a permanent seat for Japan.

The momentum thus created has not gone away; it has sustained itself and now demands a concrete outcome. That will be our new task in the next stage of the process in which we now find ourselves following the world summit. In this second stage, building on the momentum created at the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly, we need to look beyond the fact that none of the draft resolutions submitted last session was put to a vote, and seek a solution that can command broader support than has been possible thus far.

There are those who want to conclude that Security Council reform is over. They are mistaken. Reform is a process, and it moves in a continuum, step by step. That is particularly true with regard to such a sensitive, challenging endeavour as reform of the Council that tries to address fundamental changes in its composition. No effort should be spared to move this arduous process forward.

Japan is determined to continue to work, on the basis of the building blocks already laid down and in cooperation with all interested States, to move the process forward and to arrive at a solution that is broadly acceptable to the membership. For the first time in United Nations history, there is a real prospect that bold action can result in a concrete solution during the present session of the General Assembly, along with agreement on other, larger United Nations reform issues. That will no doubt require greater activism, realism, innovation and imagination on the part of all individual States and groups of States interested in the matter. We call upon all Member States to take an early decision on Security Council reform within the current session of the General Assembly. As Prime Minister Koizumi stated at the 2005 world summit, "Let us all unite in an endeavour to make this session of the General Assembly a session for action: action to achieve the comprehensive renewal of the United Nations" (A/60/PV.6, p. 36).

In closing, we would like to reiterate that Japan will spare no effort to achieve the goal of overall United Nations reform. We look forward to working hard towards that goal, under the strong leadership of the President, during this historic session of the General Assembly.

Mr. Faaborg-Andersen (Denmark)

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