Addressing a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York on January 26, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra, deputy head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the UN, noted the UNSC reform is to ensure fair representation for regional groups, especially for underrepresented groups of countries, including developing ones. She also emphasized the need to improve the working method of the Security Council and limit the use of veto power.
The Vietnamese diplomat underlined the importance of dialogue and discussion on the reform of the UN Security Council within the intergovernmental negotiations (IGN) framework, suggesting that this process be carried out in a transparent manner, with full participation and respect to the interest of other countries.
At the meeting, many countries supported the expansion of the number of both permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council, while some suggested only expanding the number of non-permanent members and considering a new structure of Security Council members. But they agreed to increase representation in the Security Council, especially for groups of countries with little representation in the body.
Currently, the Asia-Pacific region that boasts 55 countries and Africa that is comprised of 54 countries only have three seats each in the UN Security Council, while Western Europe and Western countries that boast only 29 countries altogether have five seats in the body.
