UN debate gets underway on UNSC reform

Brazil formally introduced a resolution on Security Council enlargement on Monday in what could lead to a radical change in the prestigious ...

Brazil formally introduced a resolution on Security Council enlargement on Monday in what could lead to a radical change in the prestigious 15-member body responsible for peace and security.

The draft resolution from Germany, Japan, India and Brazil, aspirants to permanent council seats, once had the most traction of any proposal. But it now faces considerable opposition, putting in question its chance of achieving the required two-thirds or 128 votes in the 191-member UN General Assembly needed for adoption.

Aware of opposition, Brazil’s UN ambassador, Ronaldo Moto Sardenberg, told the General Assembly the four would negotiate with the African Union, which has a “stand so similar to ours”.

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“No UN reform is complete without reform of Security Council,” Sardenberg said. He termed as “beguiling”, arguments that a vote on expansion was premature after 12 years of debate. And he said those who wanted consensus or a unanimous vote in the Assembly were aiming “to block the process”.

Germany, Brazil, Japan and India want to add 10 new seats to the 15-member council, four of them permanent seats for themselves, two for African nations, and another four non-permanent seats.

The US says no more than five more members should be added, but it has not put forward its own draft resolution. China objects to Japan, Russia has no clear position and Britain and France support the G-4.

Complicating the issue is a rival proposal, expected to be turned into a resolution soon, by the African Union, whose 53 votes are needed to reach the two-thirds vote required. The AU wants 11 additional seats, six permanent and five non-permanent, one more then the G-4.

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And a third proposal, not yet in a resolution, would ask for 10 new non-permanent members, with various terms in office. Medium-sized states such as Pakistan, Canada, South Korea, Argentina, Mexico and others support this position. —Reuters

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