Lauding Qatar’s initiative of hosting a meeting on UN Security Council’s reforms, Pakistan’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr Maleeha Lodhi (pictured), yesterday said that Arab and Muslim countries should have more representation in the Council.
“The two-day informal exchange-of-views hosted by Qatar will help countries in shaping UN Security Council reforms in its upcoming formal session on reforms issue next month at the United Nations,” she said adding that Qatar had provided a platform to all those countries which had been exhibiting interest in the reforms. Lodhi was talking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the meeting.
Thirty UN member states participated in the two-day meeting which was concluded yesterday, along with the President of the 71st UN General Assembly Peter Thomson and the Co-Chairmen of the Inter-Governmental Negotiation on Security Council Reform Ambassador Mohamed Khaled Khiari of Tunisia and Ambassador Ion Jinga of Romania.
Regarding UNSC reforms, Dr Lodhi said that there was a dire need of reforming the body as last set of reforms was introduced in 1966.
“The world has changed a lot in the last fifty years in its political and demographic dynamics. Pakistan’s stance on the reforms is based on democracy. We demand reforms on democratic principles and support increase in number of non-permanent members of UNSC only,” Dr Maleeha Lodhi said.
The ambassador said that despite some differences in positions regarding reforms due to regional political dimensions, the point of view of Pakistan, Qatar, the GCC and Islamic countries was the same on UNSC reforms. “We support more regional representation. We also support more representation for Arab and Islamic world to give a potent voice to more than 1.6 billion people. The Arab group has a common stance on reforms due to regional and geographic considerations but Pakistan’s position is also identical to the position of most of Islamic countries,” the ambassador added.
She said that Pakistan and Qatar had shared opinion on a number of international issues. “We regularly meet at the OIC New York platform. A few months ago, OIC New York platform met on the call of Pakistan to discuss Rohingya Muslims' plight. Another meeting was held recently in January this year. Islamic countries are working with mutual understanding at the OIC platform and the UN,” she observed.
On UN Security Council’s recently-passed resolution barring Israel from constructing illegal settlements in Palestine, the ambassador said that Pakistan had welcomed the resolution and supported its implementation. “Next week, UNSC is going to start a debate on the Middle East and we will raise the issue of implementation of UNSC resolution against Israel in it. Not only this resolution barring illegal settlements must be implemented but the UN must also come forward to fulfill its duties in implementing all the resolutions passed so far on Palestine,” she demanded.
