Madame President,
During the past year, a number of important results has been achieved in the efforts to reform the United Nations. However, for the United Nations to be relevant, legitimate, effective and capable of dealing with the many new threats and challenges that we - the international community – all face together, the reform process must continue.
As we are in the midst of trying to implement decisions already taken, we must not lose sight of the fact that reform of the Security Council is an essential part of the overall effort to reform the United Nations. The Security Council’s composition, size and working methods must all be addressed.
Sweden believes that the Security Council should better mirror today’s world which requires a stronger representation from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Any reform of the composition of the Council, should, in our view, be subject to a recurrent and effective review mechanism. Such a mechanism could open up for future changes, like for instance, as the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy develops, a seat for the European Union on the Security Council.
We want the Security Council to be an effective body that can act quickly and in a transparent manner. It is therefore our firm conviction that the veto power should not be extended to new members. Instead, we would like to see a veto-free culture being promoted in the Council. In addition, the Security Council’s working methods should be reformed. Its openness, transparency and interaction with other UN bodies must be strengthened.
We should now find ways to move forward. This issue should be approached with an open mind and a readiness to show flexibility. Reform of the Council should help enhance its legitimacy. Therefore, any reform needs to enjoy the broadest possible support. We should now start a process to garner such support, while taking into account the legitimate claims of some countries to be better represented on this the most powerful body of the United Nations system. I can assure you that Sweden will continue to engage actively in a constructive dialogue on how to reform the Security Council.