Statement by the Republic of Lithuania „Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council”
Statement by the Republic of Lithuania at the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly „Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council” on Thursday, November 17, 2022.
Mister President,
Allow me to congratulate you for convening this timely debate. I would also like to convey Lithuania’s acknowledgment to the Co-Chairs of the intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council Reform (IGN) for the 76h Session of the General Assembly- distinguished Permanent Representatives of Denmark and Qatar, and congratulate and reaffirm Lithuania’s support to distinguished Permanent Representatives of the State of Kuwait and the Republic of Slovakia, as newly appointed co-chairs of the process.
The unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine waged by the Russian Federation in blatant violation of the UN Charter clearly exposed the structural and procedural weaknesses of the Security Council. With this war, Russia not only cynically disregards its permanent membership duties, but also continues to block the Security Council as a whole from implementing its mandate with regard to maintaining international peace and security.
That was already apparent in 2014, after the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea. Back then, Russia also vetoed the Security Council’s draft resolution condemning this action and supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which was initiated by Lithuania, among others, as a non-permanent member of the Council at the time. The similar resolution was later adopted by the General Assembly, but it was a clear signal that the abuse of veto power of the permanent member of the Council could become a major reason for Security Council’s inaction.
The February’s referral of the situation in Ukraine to the General Assembly and first use of a “Uniting for Peace” resolution by the Security Council in 40 years was an important momentum. However, it is regrettable that it took a new act of Russia’s aggression to give a renewed stimulus to the discussions concerning the reforms of the Security Council that has been an ongoing topic of the discussion in the UN General Assembly for almost two decades now.
Our position on the five main issues of the reform is well known and has been repeated multiple times over the course of years. The current structure of the Council no longer reflects today’s geopolitical realities; its membership must include underrepresented regions, in particular, the African continent, Latin America, Asia and the Eastern European regional group (EEG), in permanent and non-permanent categories. Any future decisions shall not diminish the chances of small states to be represented on the Council.
The war against Ukraine has served as a stark reminder that the abuse of the veto power could paralyse the Security Council, even against the backdrop of mass atrocities committed by the Russian authorities. We strongly support blocking or limiting the use of veto in cases of mass atrocities (genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity).
Lithuania believes that there is a considerable room to improve the Council’s working methods even without a lengthy process of the amendment of the UN Charter. It could be a good first step towards the objective of increasing Council’s transparency and inclusiveness.
The Council could adopt formal rules of procedure rather than continuing to rely on provisional rules. It could ensure that the interests of the states are reflected in a balanced way in dealing with matters on its agenda, including through non-member participation according to the Articles 31 and 32 of the UN Charter[1].
A prompt and substantive reporting by the Security Council to the UN General Assembly could increase Council’s accountability towards the general UN membership.
Finally, the 14 current members of the Council, seeking to address the current stalemate in face of Russian aggression against Ukraine, could agree to revisit and push for implementing certain neglected articles of the Charter, such as Article 27 (3) that clearly demands an obligatory abstention when voting by a party to a dispute.
Mister President,
During the course of the GA 76th session, the IGN resulted in the Revised Co-Chairs’ Elements Paper on Convergences and Divergences [on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council]. Now it is the time to commence real negotiations based on a concrete text, and Lithuania has consistently advocated for this option being the only viable way forward.
I thank you.
[1] Art. 31 “Any Member of the United Nations which is not a member of the Security Council may participate, without vote, in the discussion of any question brought before the Security Council whenever the latter considers that the interests of that Member are specially affected.”
Art. 32 “Any Member of the United Nations which is not a member of the Security Council or any state which is not a Member of the United Nations, if it is a party to a dispute under consideration by the Security Council, shall be invited to participate, without vote, in the discussion relating to the dispute. The Security Council shall lay down such conditions as it deems just for the participation of a state which is not a Member of the United Nations.”
