Ashraf Abo Arafe
Among all Members of the Organization, Egypt participated in the plenary session of the General Assembly on “The question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters”, which was widely shared in light of the importance of the reform and expansion of the Security Council.
Ambassador Mohamed Idris, Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, pointed out that while the United Nations is witnessing multiple processes and paths of reform aimed at enhancing its ability to achieve the purposes and principles contained in the Charter of the Organization and to respond to new and contemporary international challenges, Egypt is fully convinced of the need for real and comprehensive reform Of the Security Council as a cornerstone of the reform of the United Nations system, especially as the Security Council is mandated to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
Idris also affirmed Egypt’s strong commitment to the African common position, as stipulated in the Oslo Accords and the Sirte Declaration, including the allocation of at least two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats to Africa continuously. The increasing support for the African common position was a clear indication of the increasing recognition by members of the General Assembly of the importance of lifting the historical injustice on the African continent and of enabling it to play its due role as a full partner in decision-making in the work of the Council.
The Permanent Representative of Egypt stressed the importance of responding to the legitimate demand of the Arab States for equitable representation in the expanded Security Council through a permanent seat with all powers in any future expansion of that category. He also noted the firm position of the Non-Aligned Movement, which emphasized that the expansion of the Council and the reform of its working methods should lead to a more democratic, representative, effective and accountable Council it should take into account the interests and needs of developed and developing countries on an equal footing in an objective and non-selective manner.
In the same context, ambassador Idris explained that there is no real reform of the Security Council without addressing the structural imbalance of permanent members’ domination of their work as a result of their veto power, which confirms the validity of the African common position, which in principle calls for the abolition of the veto. New permanent members must have all the powers of permanent membership to achieve “representative justice”, a key goal of the reform process.
