What Asian, African leaders say about UN reform

One of the main discussions during the two-day Asian-African Summit which concluded on Saturday was a global demand for sweeping reform within the United Nations so as to make it relevant to a changing world. Some of the leaders, however, failed to comment on the issue, including co-chair, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The following are comments made from some of the leaders who did speak out.

Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India:

We account for over half of humanity and we represent a kaleidoscope of diverse cultures. Our continents bring together most of the great religions of the world. Yet, we do not have a commensurate voice in the international institutions of the modern world. Democratization of the United Nations and its specialized agencies must be a fundamental plank of our strategic partnership. The evolving global economy needs the guiding hand of a well-managed global polity to bring about an efficient and equitable management of global independence.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia:

On the broad issue of United Nations reform, we must work together to remove the power asymmetries institutionalized by the current arrangements in the UN system. Reform of the UN must aim towards the strengthening of the multilateral system, not allowing its diminution. Principles should prevail over power.

Lee Hae-chan, Prime Minister of Republic of Korea:

We believe that the restructuring of the Security Council is essential for the promotion of peace and security in the international community. The Security Council needs to be changed in such a manner as to enhance its representation, accountability and operational efficiency. We also believe that the reform should be based on the broadest possible concensus, reflecting the balanced general interests of the UN membership.

Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria:

We should actively participate in strengthening our activities in international organizations by coordinating our strategies and by according each other mutually beneficial support in pursuit of our common interests. In this context we should cooperate to ensure timely conclusion of reform of the United Nations to enable our regions greater participation and influence in the decision-making organs.

Tran Duc Luong, President of Vietnam:

We should continue to deepen the traditional solidarity, friendship and cooperation between Asia and Africa in all fields on the basis of mutual benefit, the United Nations Charter and the 10 Bandung principles. To this end, it is essential for us to coordinate positions on United Nations reform toward greater democracy, transparency and efficiency for the common benefit of all member countries.

Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, King of Nepal:

The United Nations and other multilateral institutions must be strengthened and their initiatives should be conducted in a more transparent and democratic manner consistent with changing realities. It is high time that the UN paid due attention to the problems of the small and weak economies on all fronts, including the realization of the Millennium Development Goals and beyond.

Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan:

We need to revive the spirit of early cohesiveness of the G 77 on economic issues. With the United Nations providing an overarching framework, we need to work together on consensus based on UN reform, guided by the principle of sovereign equality with due emphasis on development issues.

Xanana Gusmao, President of East Timor:

Asia and Africa need to focus on the enhancement of cooperation and solidarity to overcome the drawbacks of globalization. Cooperation and solidarity will enable the two continents to play a more decisive role in world politics, to effectively contribute with ideas towards the process of reforming the United Nations in ways that benefit the developing nations, to promote dialog, reconciliation and world peace.

Hu Jintao, President of China:

We must uphold sovereign equality, jointly promote multilateralism, push for greater democracy in international relations, maintain the central role of the UN in international affairs, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the developing countries.

Mohammad Reza Aref, First Vice President of Iran:

There is another extremely important issue currently on the agenda of the United Nations which calls for a unanimous move from developing countries in the issue of restructuring the UN organization. With regard to modern international changes, it is inevitable to reconstruct the UN to enable it to face new challenges. We, like many other members of the UN, strongly believe that this procedure must be more transparent, more comprehensive and away from any imposition.