Written Answers. - UN Security Council.
Question:
97
Dr. Upton
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
if he intends that Ireland should use its membership of the Security Council of the Untied Nations to promote reform of the UN; his priorities in regard to UN reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2247/01]
Ireland's election to the Security Council places us at the heart of the United Nations' decision-making process on issues of international peace and security. While reform issues are generally a matter for the membership of the General Assembly as a whole, we will use our position on the council to make a positive contribution to the ongoing reform agenda as appropriate.
The Government strongly supports reform of the United Nations, and both the Taoiseach and I reiterated this support during our statements at the UN last September. In particular, we fully support the UN Secretary General in his efforts to ensure the UN's continued capacity to contribute effectively to conflict prevention and to social and economic development. The Millennium Summit has provided fresh impetus to the reform process. In addition, it is hoped that the agreement reached on 23 December in the United Nations Budgetary Committee on a new scale of national contributions will lead to an end to the financial crisis which has been inhibiting reform and affecting the ability of the organisation to fulfil its charter mandate. Ireland and its EU partners participated constructively in the very difficult negotiations on the scale of contributions.
While a number of important reforms have taken place, particularly in the reorganisation of the UN's role in the delivery of development and humanitarian assistance, a substantial number of reform proposals requiring General Assembly approval have not yet been endorsed. These include important proposals in the development area and we will continue to work with our partners and other like-minded member states to achieve progress on these issues.
Ireland is a long-standing and enthusiastic participant in UN peacekeeping. The membership of the UN now needs to give the organisation the capacity to put in place well planned and resourced peacekeeping operations. The excellent Brahimi report on reform of UN peacekeeping has made a series of detailed and practical proposals in this regard. Ireland is participating actively in discussions in New York on implementation of the report's recommendations.
One of the most difficult issues facing the UN membership generally is the question of Security Council reform. The General Assembly decided in 1993 to establish a working group open to all UN member states to consider all aspects of the question of an increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the council. It is a matter of regret that the working group has not yet been able to report any substantive progress to the General Assembly.
The issues involved are enlargement of Security Council membership, its working methods and its decision-making procedures, including, crucially, the use of the veto. Ireland supports a small, regionally balanced increase in both permanent and non-permanent seats to create an enlarged council of between 20 and 25 members. A significant number of other member states strongly oppose the creation of new permanent seats on the council and this has created difficulties for the open-ended working group. Ireland will continue to play an active and constructive role in seeking agreement on this issue.
On Security Council working methods, there appears to be fairly wide consensus that these should be more formalised and transparent, involving greater consultation by the council with other UN organs, including the General Assembly and Secretary General, and, in peacekeeping matters, with troop contributing countries. In our first month of Security Council membership we have already participated in an important debate on strengthening the council's co-operation with troop contributing countries. As part of our commitment to greater transparency we have, together with the UK and France, instituted arrangements to brief the other EU member states on a weekly basis in New York on key developments in the council. This type of arrangement is mandated by Article 19 of the Treaty on European Union and we are pleased to have been able to act quickly in this regard.
Ireland would like to see the veto eliminated altogether but, recognising the strong opposition of the permanent five Security Council member states, has proposed that they be invited to accept a limitation of the veto and to exercise it only when they consider the question of vital national importance, taking into account the interests of the United Nations as a whole. At the same time, any new permanent members of the council would declare that they would never exercise the veto. I assure the Deputy that Ireland will continue to engage actively in all aspects of the reform agenda at the United Nations.
