Distinguished Co-chairs,
My Delegation pledges our support to you in facilitating the important subject of the reform of the United Nations Security Council.
Liberia aligns itself with the Statement delivered by Sierra Leone on behalf of the African Union and wishes to emphasize the following in its national capacity.
The reform of the UN system will be incomplete without the reform of the UN Security Council, We, therefore, view the convening of this intergovernmental negotiation as a step in the right direction.
For Liberia, a reform to ensure that the UN is "fit for purpose" must necessarily mean our global body must exude more balance, more efficiency, more effectiveness and yes, more fairness across all of its important organs especially the Security Council, thereby improving its ability to maintain international peace and security.
Especially in this regard, we join the African Group in placing on the record that the ‘Elements of Commonalities Paper’ (Food for Thought Paper) produced by the former Co-Chairs of the IGN during the 71st Session-- though significant, did not fully reflect the views of the repeated calls by a number of Member States for enhanced representation of Africa in both the Permanent and Non-Permanent Categories of the Security Council.
Accordingly, Liberia supports a reform that maintains permanent and non-permanent membership categories and ensures equitable representation of Africa within both membership categories.
Africa’s demand for equitable representation is quite simply legitimate. This is acknowledged by the 'Food for Thought Paper'. We, therefore, join in the request that the inseparable link to the “categories of membership” be reflected in paragraph ii-6-d, and also in 6-h of section III.
Furthermore, on the issue of veto, my Delegation raises its voice in the reasonable request that the Common African Position so clearly stated: “Africa is in principle opposed to the Veto, but so long as it exists, and as a matter of common justice, it should be made available to all Permanent Members of the Security Council”, be included under paragraph III-5-b "issues for further consideration-Veto".
Distinguished Co-Chairs, Liberia believes as already expressed that any model of reform which limits Africa’s representation to the category of Non-permanent seats, or denies Africa’s representatives in the category of Permanent seats with all the rights and privileges of the current Permanent members including the right of Veto, falls short of addressing Africa’s legitimate demand for equitable representation.
This, then, is why we urge you Distinguished Co-Chairs to take note of the comprehensive nature of the five clusters, their inter-linkages, the broad support in favor of enlargement of the Security Council in both the Permanent and Non-permanent categories, the need for its working methods to be improved, as well as the broad support a number of Member States have expressed for the Common African Position.
Finally, Distinguished co-chairs, the temptation often confronted in needed change efforts is to view the change in the narrow interest of its advocates. The reforms we seek are not Africa's reforms. They are much-needed reforms for our United Nations if we are to continue to truly call ourselves "United Nations", and genuinely present ourselves to all that we represent the aspirations of all peoples. Our world has changed, so also must our United Nations.
I thank you for your attention.
