Mr. President,
Two months ago, we took important steps to reform the United Nations. Once implemented, these decisions will strengthen our ability to cope with current global threats and challenges.
The 2005 High Level Meeting clearly spelled out the need for early reform of the Security Council in order to make it more broadly representative, efficient and transparent. Equally important, reform of the Security Council was seen as part of the overall effort to reform the United Nations.
We are pleased that negotiations are now underway on several of the reform issues. But we must also proceed to address the outstanding ones. We, therefore, welcome today’s debate on the crucial issue of Security Council reform.
Sweden belongs to those member states that have advocated reform of the Security Council since the early nineties. For the Security Council to remain the primary body in our collective security system, its legitimacy and effectiveness must be assured. On the one hand, Sweden believes that the Security Council should be expanded, allowing a stronger representation from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
On the other hand, the Security Council must be an effective body that can act quickly and in a transparent way. We, therefore, believe that the veto power should not be extented to new members. Instead, a veto-free culture should be promoted. Furthermore, the Security Council’s working methods, transparency and its dialogue with other UN bodies must be strengthened. We welcome the efforts to this end by the delegations of Costa Rica, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Singapore and Switzerland.
From now until the end of the year, we should come to an agreement on how we can invigorate the process and carry it forward - into the year of 2006. As Sweden has said many times before, non-action on this matter is not an option. On our part, we are ready to contribute to finding a solution that will be broadly accepted and thus seen as truly legitimate.
After years of debate, we must reach an agreement on reform of the Security Council. Let us use the momentum of the High Level Meeting to continue to move forward also on this issue. In the end, our global response to the threats and challenges of today will depend on our resolve to reform the United Nations, including the body that has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.