South African Government strategy with other progressive governments to ensure the transformation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) into a platform for fair and just protection of the vulnerable people of the world
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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR ORAL REPLY
QUESTION NO: 7 (NO274E)
PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO: 1-2013 OF 6 MARCH 2013
MR EM SULLIMAN (ANC) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION:
What is the Government’s strategy with other progressive governments to ensure the transformation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) into a platform for fair and just protection of the vulnerable people of the world?
REPLY:
At issue regarding the reform of the UNSC is the democratisation and expansion of the UN Security Council membership, as well as the legitimisation of its decisions. South Africa’s approach is to work with the African Group as the UN system function or works on the basis of regional blocks as well as G77 and China and the Non-Aligned Movement. To create momentum for reform South Africa also works with progressive countries of the North especially those that are not UNSC permanent members. There is no question that there is an urgent need for comprehensive reform of the UNSC including its working methods. The only question is when and how this will take place. South Africa also works with civil society in terms of realising UNSC reform.
Our National Parliament can also assist in this to galvanise support through its relations with other parliamentarians and the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) and create an alliance that can result in overwhelming pressure on the Permanent Members of the Security Council (P5) to agree to the reform of the UNSC.
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