Mr. President,
During this unprecedented session of the General Assembly, we have taken a number of important steps to reform the United Nations. 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, as part of the overall effort to reform the United Nations. We, therefore, welcome today’s debate.
Sweden has 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. Sweden believes that the Security Council should be expanded with new members, allowing a stronger representation from regions such as Africa, Asia and Latin America. Any reform of the membership of the Council should however be subject to an effective review mechanism.
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 continued efforts to this end by the delegations of Costa Rica, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Singapore and Switzerland, as well as the decision yesterday by the Security Council on measures to improve its working methods.
We must move forward. We now need to show flexibility, an open mind and seek solutions that can garner broad support. I can assure you that Sweden will continue to engage actively in a constructive dialogue on how to reform the Security Council.