United Nations, Sep 9 (IANS) UN General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman has said that he will push for a “meaningful” reform of the Security Council “very, very seriously”.
“We have a situation where trust is in deficit, and the organisation must undertake deeper reform in order to make it fit for the future, not only today but tomorrow”, he said, speaking to reporters after he was sworn in as the President of the Assembly on Tuesday (local time).
On his role in facilitating the reform process as President of the Assembly, he said, ” I take this very, very seriously.”
He will be appointing the facilitators of the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN), as the reform process is known.
“This is not 1945 …we are not doing the San Francisco”, he said, referring to the founding of the UN when it was set up to reflect the post-World War II situation, a framework it is still stuck in.
“This is the 21st century … the world has moved on”, he said
“The reforms must be meaningful” in order to “regain the trust of the central organisation in the eyes of the public”, he stressed.
Rahman, who is the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh and was elected Assembly president in June, is a veteran of UN diplomacy, having served in his country’s UN mission, worked as the UNCTAD’s representative in New York, and held the responsibility for economic, social and development affairs in the secretary-general’s executive office.
“I’m an old-timer”, he said, speaking about the importance of reforms, “I’ve seen it from probably, I should say, 360 degrees”.
He is keeping the two jobs, Assembly President and Foreign Minister, with a balancing act to keep them separate.
Asked by a reporter what his presidency means for Bangladesh, he said that as President he was representing all countries.
He also refused to say whether Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi this month, saying, “I’m not here in national capacity, so please just forgive me” for not answering it.
Earlier, he ceremoniously took over the presidency of the Assembly from Annalena Baerbock, receiving the gavel known as Thor’s Hammer from her.
(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in)
–IANS
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