Thank you Mr President,
My delegation welcomes the Report of the Security Council and the ever increasing attempts at transparency in the preparation and drafting of the report. The Maldives further welcomes this debate on agenda item 29, in a manner which is independent of the larger question of Security Council reform, composition and expansion. While the Maldives hopes that tomorrow’s Security Council will have an expanded membership and be more relevant and responsive to global needs, our focus today is on the present day Security Council. The authority of the members of today’s Council is derived from the United Nations Charter and the General Membership. Their resolutions are binding upon all Member States and they are accountable to us, creating a compact between member and non-members of the Council. It is our hope that a long-standing tradition of isolation gives way to accountability, that future work is coherent and integrated, and that a culture of secrecy gives way to transparency.
It is in this spirit that the Maldives associates itself with the statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Switzerland in his capacity as coordinator of the group ACT – Accountability, Coherence and Transparency. Business as usual is no longer valid in today’s world, and while comprehensive and substantial change will take time, today’s Council has a responsibility to be more responsive to the United Nations general membership.
Mr President,
The immediate responsibility to act lies with current and future members of the Council. These nations must take measures to ensure transparency in their work, and facilitate greater understanding. The Maldives commends the practise of monthly wrap-up sessions conducted by Council Presidents. We encourage analytical and substantive monthly briefings which ensures the evolution of the Council’s work and promotes progress across the tenures of its Presidencies.
As with the rotation of the Presidency, the work of the Council is not restricted to permanent members, but rather to all members of the Council. The allocation of work must be inclusive and conducted in such a way as to draw upon the expertise of all Council members, lest the Council’s legitimacy be undermined further.
Mr President,
This United Nations’ principal purpose is the maintenance of peace and security across the globe. The centrality of this principal lies with the Security Council. Its legitimacy, and by extension that of this organization, can only be maintained through the elimination of mass atrocity crimes. The Maldives calls again today, for the elective renunciation of a member’s right to veto in the case of mass atrocities. It is the solemn duty of every Member State to protect those within its sovereign territory. Should any of us fail in this duty, it is the burden of the United Nations to safeguard its charter and fulfil the purpose of this organization.
It is the responsibility of the general membership to hold Council members to account and this can only be done through casting aside the veil of ignorance that surrounds the work of the Council. Its methodologies should facilitate greater understanding, and therefore better accountability. And the collective will of the membership should stimulate clarity.
It is the Maldives’ hope that even outside compressive reform for tomorrow, that today’s Council can rise to the challenges of our time, within the existing frameworks.
