Vietnam supports the reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to ensure representation, democracy, transparency and efficiency, said Vietnamese ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese mission to the UN.

Addressing the 27th plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on November 16-17 on UNSC reform, Quy stressed Vietnam’s support for an increase in the number of UNSC permanent and non-permanent members in order to ensure fair representation of regional groups, especially for underrepresented groups and developing countries.

He underlined the need to take into account the role and contributions of countries in maintaining international peace and security when considering the selection of new members.

The intergovernmental negotiations (IGN) needs to focus on the UN’s long-term goals and visions, he said, noting that negotiations should be sincere and mutually respectful while trying to find common ground to promote negotiations towards gaining extensive support on this important issue.

Participants at the event agreed that it is necessary to promote IGN in order to speed up the reform of UNSC in a practical manner.

The reform of UNSC focuses on five clusters, including the question of the use of the veto power, categories of membership, regional representation, size and working methods, and the relationship between the UN General Assembly and UNSC.

Since its founding in 1945, the UNSC has undergone the first reform in 1965 with the number of non-permanent members increasing from six to 10. The UN General Assembly passed Resolution 47/62 to initiate discussion on the UNSC reform in 1998, and Decision No 62/557 on IGN in 2008 to begin discussion in detail on this topic.

VIET NAM NEWS/ Asia News Network