UNITED NATIONS, Sept 17: Reform of the UN Security Council will be among the priorities during the 69th General Assembly session, which opened here, with the body’s new President Sam Kahamba Kutesa saying the need to reform the most powerful UN organ is “urgent”.
“One of the priorities I highlighted for this session is continued focus on the revitalisation of the General Assembly and the reform of the Security Council. While some progress towards making the General Assembly more effective and efficient has been made, we need to do more,” Kutesa said in his opening address to the 193-member body yesterday.
He said the “need to reform the Security Council is urgent” as reflected in the 2005 World Summit outcome.
“We need to find a way of making progress in the intergovernmental negotiation process, and I call upon member states to redouble efforts in this session,” he said, adding that he has requested the respective chairpersons of the Committees to pay greater attention to the matter.
The UN General Assembly opened its 69th annual session yesterday with Kutesa declaring that it would be a historic opportunity to formulate a post-2015 development agenda that is transformative, brings tangible results in fighting poverty and leads to improving lives of all people.
India has been strongly pressing for reform of the UNSC, saying the relevance of the world body is at stake if it is not reformed to be more effective and representative.
India has said that the Council should be reformed to reflect the geopolitical realities of the 21st century.
Kutesa, of Uganda, declared the theme of this year’s general debate ‘Delivering on and implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda’ and said the framework must strive to eradicate poverty and hunger and promote sustained and inclusive economic growth.
Kutesa listed poverty and hunger, persistent unemployment, violent armed conflicts, faltering education systems, climate change and inadequate infrastructure as the world’s most pressing issues and urged the international community to approach the issues during the “pivotal” 69th session with a sense of urgency, hope and greater cooperation.
He noted that the 69th session will be “very busy,” adding that apart from dealing with the normal work of its six main Committees which deal with specific issues of UN budget, human rights, disarmament, and economic and financial matters, the Assembly will be preoccupied with negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda.
Calling the coming year a “momentous” one for the UN, he said he looked forward to commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Organization’s founding, as well 15 years since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration and 10 years since the 2005 World Summit. (PTI)
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