STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. TOSHIRO OZAWA
AMBASSADOR
PERMAMENT MISSION OF JAPAN TO THE UNITED NATIONS

INFORMAL CONSULTATION OF THE PLENARY
OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
ON MANDATE REVIEW

13 JULY 2006

Mr. Co-chair,

We thank you for convening out 14th meeting. We also congratulate and welcome Ambassador Cooney of Ireland for succeeding Ambassador Rock as a Co-chair of this important process that Member States have been continuing since November last year. My delegation would like to reassure the Co-chairs of our continued cooperation for our future work.

Mr. Co-chair,

My delegation welcomes your proposal to resume the work of the Working Group as soon as possible. We expect that the Working Group will produce tangible and meaningful results. My delegation has presented 2 concrete proposals on mandates older than five years and non-renewed. We wish to continue deliberation on these proposals in a constructive manner. We think that Member States will be missing the whole point of our Mandate Review if we limit the exercise to only book-keeping. The objective of Mandate Review is to strengthen and revitalize the United Nations through the review of mandated activities.

Mr. Co-chair,

My delegation also welcomes and supports your suggestion to continue informal exchanges of views on the way forward, or the "roadmap" or step two. We think that the draft elements prepared by the Co-chairs at the end of June actually enjoy wide support by the Member States, at least conceptually. We think that many Member States wish to agree on a credible roadmap which, together with common understandings on certain confidence building measures, would guide our future work on the mandate review. My delegation expects that, through the suggested informal exchange of views, we will find a clearer meeting of minds and agree on the modus operandi of our further work on Mandate Review.

Thank you.

Related Information (United Nations)
Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations Official Web Site