79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
IGN on Security Council Reform – Cluster debate on working methods
Remarks by H.E. Mr. Rein Tammsaar, Permanent Representative of Estonia to the UN
27 February 2025
- I thank the Permanent Representatives of Austria and Kuwait for leading the intergovernmental negotiations on the Security Council reform and I welcome today´s discussion on UNSC working methods.
- It appears that everyone agrees, that the Security Council must be more transparent, efficient and inclusive in conducting its business to better respond to the current and future global threats.
- Where we cannot agree is weather improving the working methods is a substitute to the real comprehensive reform or not. I think the most rational way forward is to push for the common understanding when it comes to the comprehensive Council´s reform while assuring in parallel rapid progress when it comes to the working methods of the SC. Improving the working methods have its own merit and is indispensable if we want to make progress.
- And indeed, there is a pressing need to improve the UNSC working methodsas soon as possible, to ensure the Council can already now better fulfil its mandate towards international peace and security. We do not need to wait for the full reform to adjust and advance the UNSC working methods. Therefore we thank Japan for their tremendous work in the SC with updating the Note 507[1]. It is a living document that requires continuous review.
- It is important to ensure the full participation of all membersof the Security Council in its work. This includes for example more burden-sharing among all Council members in terms of penholdership and systematic consultations with affected countries like host countries or TCCs and PCCs.
- We call also for fully implementing Action 41 of the Pact for the future, namely: improving the working methods of the Council; strengthening its relationship with the GA; fully implementing and adhering to all provisions of the Charter, including Article 27 (3) of the Charter; support credible, timely and decisive action by the Council to prevent or end the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes.
- Reinforced by the events undermining the UN Charter and it´s principles, that were unfolding this very Monday in the Security Council, let me specifically emphasise the urgent need to full and consistent implementation of the Article 27 (3) of the Charter. We call on all Council members to ensure the implementation of an obligatory abstention of a party to a dispute from voting. Text of the resolution adopted in the Security Council on 24th February btw leaves no room for interpretation when it comes to who are the parties to the dispute in this concrete case.
- Finally, we sincerely believe that under the able leadership of our co-chairs, we can indeed make solid progress during this IGN session and broaden the scope of the elements of consensus for the Security Council reform, with a view to develop a consolidated model, preferably already by the end of the current IGN cycle. The consolidated model should be based on the large area of convergences of the five clusters, and the models presented by Member States, as prescribed in the Pact for the Future. Progress mentioned would help us to move directly to the text based negotiations. Estonia is ready to contribute its share towards these ends.