Distinguished Co-Chairs,
I am honored to align our statement with the one delivered on behalf of the L.69 Group by the Permanent Representative of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Her Excellency, Ambassador Rhonda King.
Co-Chairs,
Many speakers here have pointed out correctly that the Security Council is a critical component of our United Nations system, and that by enabling its reform we can make genuine progress in our pursuit of international peace and security. It is an important and perfectly valid component of our complex effort at the UN to deal with the geopolitical realities of 21st century problems. It is within this context that Micronesia continues to advocate for an expansion of the Security Council in both the non-permanent and permanent categories to be reflective of the current realities in our United Nations and the world we live in.
While we must accommodate regional representation on a reformed Council, it must be just the right size and must not be too large that the decision making does not become so unwieldy.
Co-Chairs,
It is painfully obvious, should the Council remains relevant to individuals living on this planet, something must change. From the view point of a small island developing state, there is basic validity to also include in the non-permanent category a rotating seat for a representative of SIDS. At a time when we must redouble our efforts to maintain public trust and democratize our Organization we maintain that it would benefit the United Nations and its members to learn from the experiences of the smallest. The expressed goals of the Security Council are aimed at the maintenance of international peace and security; the same goals must also be central, in this case, to addressing the existential threats from the adverse effects of human-induced climate change and the survival of a group whose members make up more than 20 per cent of the UN membership.
Micronesia humbly approach this Security Council reform with full awareness of the historic challenges faced today by all Members of the United Nations on many, costly fronts. For this reform process and as a small Pacific SIDS and a member of the L.69 Group, we ask, nevertheless, that the proposed reforms envisioned by member states be documented and contain all positions and proposals in a crystallized format. This would not be only be of necessity, but an encouraging sign of the broader resolve of the UN membership to facilitate the full, equal and effective participation of the small delegations in this important UN discourse.
I thank you distinguished Co-Chairs.
