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Statement by the delegation of Ukraine at the plenary meeting of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly on agenda item 122 “Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the SC” (11 November 2024)

Mr. President,

The delegation of Ukraine expresses its gratitude for convening this debate and commends your willingness to support to the process of the Security Council reform.

Ukraine has been a strong proponent of this reform long before we witnessed the Council’s unpreparedness to properly respond to the Russian aggression. Now, as Russia exploits its presence in the permanent seat to advance its aggressive strategies, we reiterate that the urgency of the Security Council reform is clearer than ever.

In a week, we will reach a grave milestone of 1000 days of war – the bloodiest conflict in the European continent since the WWII. The Security Council has responded to this gravest security threat with over a hundred meetings, yet no substantive action has been taken to restore international peace and security.

Given the unique tools at Russia’s disposal to undermine any attempt by the responsible members of the Security Council to act, different outcomes could hardly be expected. 

We reiterate therefore that our efforts to create a robust roadmap towards more efficient Council will not succeed if the root cause of the Council’s current failures remain off the radars. And this is the tacit approval of de-facto Russia’s occupation of the Soviet permanent seat by circumventing necessary legal procedures, envisaged by the UN Charter.  

The Council itself has been taken hostage of Russia’s practice of using its platform to whitewash aggression and violations. Not only Council’s attempts to act on the “Ukrainian track” have been blocked by Russia, but even an attempt to include Ukraine-related agenda item in a monthly program of work results in Russia blocking its adoption. 

Notably, this has occurred this month, in November. We commend the principled stance of the UK Presidency which refused to remove a scheduled meeting on Ukraine from the draft program of work to appease Russia.

Spamming the Council´s agenda with questions that could hardly align with its mandate, and retaliating by immediately requesting additional Council´s meetings in response for those, initiated by Ukraine or other SC members, are also among the “dirty tricks”, widely employed by Russia.

The remedy for the deliberate strategy to immobilize and discredit the Council is closely related, though not limited, to the issue of veto.

We note that this issue was in the focus of negotiations on IGN contribution to the Pact for the Future. We commend that the Pact contains clear acknowledgement that the question of the veto is a key element of Security Council reform. 

We encourage the Member States to uphold their commitment and to intensify efforts to reach an agreement on the future of the veto, including on limiting its scope and use. 

We are convinced that veto should not serve as a weapon for those who are driven by hatred and war. The legitimate reasons for restricting the use of “veto” by a permanent member of the Security Council should therefore include cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as conflicts and situations a permanent member is involved in and cannot vote impartially due to the conflict of interests.

Different out-of-box ideas should be brought to the negotiating table, including the idea of empowering the UN General Assembly to overcome the veto. 

Mr. President,

There are additional issues that my delegation considers vital for advancing the IGN process.

First – we could open new avenues for progress if we agree on text-based negotiations. This step would re-energize the process and strengthen its result-oriented nature.

Second, we consider that any text, intended as a basis for negotiation should properly reflect the entire range of positions and proposals, as well as acknowledge unchallenged proposals as commonalities. Among these unchallenged proposals is strengthened representation of the Eastern European Group in the reformed Council. 

Mr. President,

In conclusion I would like to reiterate that the delegation of Ukraine will be ready to engage constructively throughout all clusters of negotiations. 

We remain committed to contribute to our common goal of reforming the Security Council in order to make this organ fully operational and capable to effectively respond to the gravest threats to international peace and security.

I thank you.