Philippines Champions UN Security Council Reform

Ambassador and Permanent Representative Antonio M. Lagdameo delivers PH statement at the General Assembly debate on Security Council reform at the UN Headquarters in New York on 16 November 2023. (Photo credit: New York PM)

NEW YORK 21 November 2023 – In his address to the UN General Assembly Hall, Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Antonio M. Lagdameo, emphasized the need for urgent reforms in the UN Security Council. He highlighted the importance of these reforms for better representation of the global community and for more effectively addressing the escalating conflicts around the world. 

Ambassador Lagdameo expressed the Philippine position on ongoing efforts to reform the UN Security Council during the plenary debate of the UN General Assembly on the “question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council” on 16 November 2023 at the UN headquarters in New York.

Ambassador Lagdameo stressed that a reformed Security Council should address existing deficiencies in equitable representation of regions not adequately represented in the Security Council, including Africa, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific. 

Ambassador Lagdameo added that “as we consider various formulations, the expanded Security Council should ensure a balance between its representativeness and effectiveness in dealing with global issues and concerns.”

“The new Security Council should not just improve representation, but should be able to act swiftly and decisively, with the highest standards of accountability, coherence, transparency and fidelity to the trust accorded to it by the greater UN membership,” he emphasized.

Ambassador Lagdameo reiterated that Security Council reform should be taken in conjunction with the ongoing efforts to revitalize the General Assembly, especially with respect to enhancing the role of the assembly in terms of decision making on matters affecting international peace and security.

“A reformed and expanded Security Council and a revitalized General Assembly are strategic pillars for a more effective and efficient multilateralism,” Ambassador Lagdameo emphasized.

UN Member States will continue their discussion on Security Council reform through the Inter-governmental Negotiations (IGN) platform, which is currently being facilitated by Austria and Kuwait. 

The current Security Council, which was last expanded in 1963, has five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and 10 elected members with two-year terms. END

For more information, visit https://www.newyorkpm.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.un.int/philippines or https://www.facebook.com/PHMissionNY/.