UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has reiterated its position on UN Security Council reforms during a recent debate, emphasising its commitment to only supporting the addition of non-permanent members to the 15-member council.

During the Third Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) meeting on Security Council reforms on Friday, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram reiterated Islamabad’s position against the inclusion of additional permanent members. The IGN framework involves a group of nation-states working within the United Nations to reform the Security Council.

Ambassador Akram argued that instead of creating more ‘centers of privilege,’ the reforms should focus on promoting broader representation for all UN member states to make the council more democratic.

“This mechanism for regular elections and cross-regional representation will ensure more accountability and transparency,” he said. “It will also make the council more inclusive by providing greater representation to countries of the Global South.”

Ambassador Akram said that Pakistan opposes adding permanent members because “there is no justification for new centres of privilege, as this would be a violation of the principle of sovereign equality.”

He argued that countries seeking frequent presence or permanent membership should undergo a democratic process of periodic election by the General Assembly. Addressing the issue of categories, Ambassador Akram challenged the notion of only two categories and stressed the importance of discussing various forms of membership.

The Pakistani ambassador highlighted the proposal to add 11 or 12 new non-permanent members as a means to offer greater representation to the global south. “Adopting this model would give the global South the majority in the Security Council,” he added.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2024