Reform of the United Nations
Following the demise of the Cold War, the world has become faced with new kinds of threats to its peace and stability. Regional and local conflicts based on deep-rooted historical, social, economic, ethnic and other factors, are rampant, threatening to plunge the world into even greater instability. Furthermore, the problem of explosive population increase, poverty, and environmental degradation are affecting the entire planet. In this new international environment, the United Nations is expected to play an even more important role than before. In order for the United Nations to be able to fulfill its responsibilities effectively, it must undertake institutional as well as financial reforms.
Ambassador Owadda delivers a statement at the Open-Ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council(1996).
The Reform of the Security Council
In the post-Cold War world, the international community has been placing ever greater expectations on the United Nations and particularly on the Security Council, which has the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. However, in view of the changing international situation, demonstrated, for example, by the dramatic increase in the number of U.N. Member States and the emergence of new powers that have attained levels of global influence equal to those of the current permanent members, the legitimacy and credibility of the Security Council cannot be ensured unless the Security Council is composed in such a way that it reflects the general will of the member states. At the same time, the functions of the Security Council should be further strengthened. Thus, the objective of the United Nations' Open-Ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council, established in pursuance of the resolution 48/26 of December 3, 1993, of the U.N. General Assembly, is to enhance the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Security Council, while maintaining its efficiency. In the general debate during the 50th Session of the U.N. General Assembly, the vast majority of speakers referred to the question of the reform of the Security Council. This is clear evidence that the momentum to move forward on this crucial issue remains strong. Therefore, it is important that the Member States accelerate their deliberations so as to make progress in the reform of the Security Council during the 51st Session General Assembly. In his statement at the 50th Session of the U.N. General Assembly, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono stated as follows:
- The reform of the Security Council is of the utmost importance in strengthening the U.N. in the political field; the primary objective of Security Council Reform is to strengthen its function by enhancing its legitimacy and effectiveness. Toward this end, Japan believes it is necessary to expand the Security Council by adding countries in a position to assume global responsibilities to the permanent membership and also to increase by an appropriate number the non-permanent membership. As I stated here last year, Japan, with the endorsement of many countries, is prepared to discharge its responsibilities as a permanent member of the Security Council in accordance with its basic philosophy regarding international contributions, including the non-resort to the use of force prohibited by its Constitution.
Furthermore, Former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama referred to the necessity of reform of the Security Council including an expansion of the Council and an improvement in its working methods. Japan believes that a reform of the Security Council should address the following points, with the aim of making it a more effective organ for carrying out its functions under the U.N. Charter:
- In addition to the five permanent members of the Security Council, new global powers having the capacity and willingness to assume global responsibilities have emerged. While recognizing that the current permanent members continue to be major actors in global political and economic matters, it is necessary to point out that there are now other countries that likewise play an important role in world affairs and make significant contributions to the United Nations.
- Even though U.N. membership has risen from 51 to 185 countries, the number of seats on the Security Council has only been increased from 11 to 15, since 1965.
- Opportunities to participate in the work of the Security Council as non-permanent members have become inequitable among regional groups. Such regions as Asia, Africa and Latin America have been underrepresented.
An important consideration for any reform is that it must not undermine the efficiency of the Security Council. A balance must be struck between the need to ensure the representative character of the Security Council and its efficiency. In this context, Japan supports the proposal that the number of seats on the reformed Security Council should be in the low 20s.
Japan is not enthusiastic about proposals to enlarge only the non-permanent membership of the Security Council. Most importantly, such proposals do not address the need to strengthen the Security Council by adding new permanent members qualified to carry out global responsibilities, nor does it redress the issues of regional imbalances in representation and in reflecting the legitimate interests of small countries.
Japan's position is that the following steps should be taken to reform the Security Council in a manner that would enhance its legitimacy and effectiveness:
- In view of the emergence of new global powers, there is a need for a limited increase in the number of permanent seats in addition to the current permanent members.
- In order to improve the representativity of the Security Council, the number of non-permanent seats should be increased appropriately.
- In increasing the number of non-permanent seats, special consideration should be given to regions that are now underrepresented, namely Asia, Africa and Latin America.
- Measures should be considered and implemented to further the improvement of the working methods and procedures of the Security Council, including enhancement of the transparency of its work.
With respect to an increase in the permanent membership of the Security Council, Japan is of the view that the selection of the countries to be added should be made based on the capacity and willingness of the countries concerned to assume global responsibilities. In this regard, Japan is giving due consideration to the view that developing countries should be included as permanent members of the Security Council.
Japan is not enthusiastic about proposals to establish a new category of membership of the Security Council, be it in the form of semipermanent membership or otherwise. Most importantly, this proposal does not address the need to strengthen the Security Council by adding new permanent members qualified to carry out global responsibilities, nor does it redress the issues of regional imbalances in representation and in reflecting the legitimate interests of small countries.
Japan's position is that the following steps should be taken to reform the Security Council in a manner that would enhance its legitimacy and effectiveness:
- In view of the emergence of new global powers, there is a need for a limited increase in the number of permanent seats in addition to the current permanent members.
- In order to improve the representativity of the Security Council, the number of non-permanent seats should be increased appropriately.
- In increasing the number of non-permanent seats, special consideration should be given to regions that are now underrepresented, namely Asia, Africa and Latin America.
- Measures should be considered and implemented to further the improvement of the working methods and procedures of the Security Council, including enhancement of the transparency of its work.
With respect to an increase in the permanent membership of the Security Council, Japan is of the view that the selection of the countries to be added should be made based on the capacity and willingness of the countries concerned to assume global responsibilities. In this regard, Japan is giving due consideration to the view that developing countries should be included as permanent members of the Security Council.
Through its active contributions to the work of the Security Council in resolving regional conflicts, including the conflict in Cambodia, and through its active support for initiatives for peace, disarmament, nonﾐproliferation, sustainable development and various other areas, Japan has gained valuable experience that will enable it to make an even greater contribution to the achievement of genuine world peace. Japan appreciates the support for its permanent membership of the Security Council that many countries have expressed in the U.N. Working Group, in the General Assembly, or on other occasions.
Number of U.N. Member States |
Number of Security Council Seats |
| Note: In 1945, the Security Council had five permanent and six non-permanent members. Despite the dramatic increase in the number of the U.N. Member States, the number of seats on the Security Council rose from 11 to 15 (the number of non-permanent seats was raised from 6 to 10 ) only once, in 1965. | |
| Region | Number of U.N. member states | Number of non-permanent Security Council members | Number of permanent Security Council members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 48 | 2 | 1 (China) |
| Africa | 53 | 3 | 0 |
| Latin America | 33 | 2 | 0 |
| Western Europe and other regions | 27 | 2 | 3 (U.S.A., U.K., France) |
| Eastern Europe | 20 | 1 | 1 (Russia) |
| Total | 181 | 10 | 5 |
Financial Reform of the United Nations
Japan's Contribution to the U.N. Budget
The U.N. activities are financed by obligatory assessed contributions from all member states and by voluntary contributions from member states. The U.N. budgets financed by assessed contributions are further divided into two categories: the regular budget and the budgets for peace-keeping operations.
The U.N. activities are financed by assessed contributions from all member states and by voluntary contributions. The U.N. budgets financed by assessed contributions are further divided into two categories: the regular budget and the budgets for peace-keeping operations.
Since its accession to the United Nations in 1956, Japan has consistently honored its financial obligations by paying its assessed contribution promptly, in full and without condition. As for the regular budget, Japan has already paid in full its assessment for the year 1996, amounting to US$167.9 million. Japan's assessment rate is 15.435% of the regular budget; that is exceeded only by the 25.0% share assessed for the United States and will rise to 15.65% for the year 1997. As to the assessed contribution for the PKO budget, Japan paid US$434.2 million for the year 1995.
Japan's Voluntary contributions to major totaled US$549.2 million in 1994, to U.N. bodies and agencies.
Financial Reform of the United Nations
The Financial reform of the United Nations is one of the most serious issues that the Organization faces at present. The Government of Japan presented its proposal on Financial Reform in March 1996 to the High-level Open-ended Working Group on the Financial Situation of the United Nations, in the hope that it will contribute to the process.
Facing strong needs for the United Nations to play a critical role in tackling global issues in the international community, the Member States including Japan recognize the importance to strengthen financial and administrative systems of the United Nations so that the organization will reflect the changing realities of the international community and that it will be able to adapt to the emerging needs in the 21st century.
Japan emphasizes three points in its proposal. Firstly, a conceptual distinction should be made clearly between the immediate issue of cash flow and the systemic issue of financial reforms. In order to deal with the problem of cash flow, it is important for Member States to fulfill their financial obligations under the Charter. Secondly, financial reform should proceed together with the other areas of reform such as the reform of the Security Council and the reform of the economic and social areas, in order to achieve the reform of the United Nations as a whole in a balanced manner. Thirdly, regarding the scales of assessments, it is necessary to establish a clearer linkage between the responsibility of each Member State and the share of the financial burden it is apportioned for support of the United Nations. It would be useful to introduce into the current system, which is based on the principle of capacity to pay a concept that might be called "responsibility to pay," taking into account the special responsibilities and privileges of the Permanent Members of the Security Council.
Revitalizaion of the United Nations in Development and Related Fields
The Government of Japan attaches great importance to the ad hoc open-ended Working Group on an Agenda for Development, in view of promoting discussions on development based on a "new global partnership." In its proposal presented to the Working Group in May 1996, the Government of Japan emphasized the importance of taking steps such as establishing a development strategy based on a new global partnership between developed and developing countries, setting development targets, and reinvesting savings resulting from improved cost effectiveness in development programs. Although the Working Group is expected to conclude its work before the end of the 50th Session of the General Assembly, the Government of Japan intends to follow-up the discussion on development strategy during the 51st Session of the General Assembly.
Revitalizing the United Nations in the field of economic and social development is an important objective of discussion among U.N. Member States. The Government of Japan is emphasizing that the reform of the United Nations should not be a "euphemism" for "budget cutting," and strongly advocating for the idea to reinvest savings resulting from reform in development programs.
It is also essential to strengthen the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in order to facilitate discussion and to formulate guidelines for U.N. development activities. In this context, the Government of Japan has actively participated in the discussion in the General Assembly on the follow-up to its resolution 48/162, and welcomes the recently-adopted resolution 50/227, as a further step in the right direction, which formulates the roles of Bureau of the ECOSOC, requests the ECOSOC to undertake review of the mandates and working methods of its functional commissions and expert groups and bodies, and recommends measures to enhance interaction and cooperation between the Bretton Woods institutions and other parts of the United Nations system.
Japan continues to endeavor for realizing necessary reform measures to revitalize the U.N. development activities.
Improvement of the United Nations' Capacity to Maintain Peace and Security
After the submission of "An Agenda for Peace" by the Security-General in June 1992, an informal open-ended Working Group was established in order to discuss ways to improve the United Nation's capacity to maintain peace and security. The Working Group submitted to the General Assembly two resolutions (47/120A and 47/120B), which dealt with preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping, post-conflict peace-building and other related issues.
In January 1995, the Secretary-General issued a "Supplement to an Agenda for Peace" to highlight certain difficulties that have risen since the submission of "An Agenda for Peace." The informal open-ended Working Group was reconvened to consider an Agenda for Peace, and four sub-groups have been established to discuss those difficulties including the following.
- Preventive diplomacy and peace making: measures to strengthen preventive diplomacy.
- Post-conflict peace-building (PCPB): principles and framework for PCPB activities, type of PCPB activities, PCPB and the role of the U.N.
- Question of United Nations imposed Sanctions: unexpected side-effects of sanctions, effects of sanctions on third-countries, mandate and functions of sanction committees.
- Coordination: coordination between the U.N. and States, coordination within the U.N. system, cooperation with regional arrangements or agencies in the field of peace and security.
The Government of Japan attaches great importance to the discussion in the Working Group on an Agenda for Peace, and has actively participated in the discussion. Japan hopes that the debate in the Working Group will lead to an early adoption of a resolution, which will better contribute to maintaining international peace and security.
Strengthening of the United Nations System
Since the beginning of 1996, the Working Group on the Strengthening of the U.N. System is examining ways to improve the functioning of the General Assembly and the Secretariat. The Government of Japan believes that the functioning of the United Nations should be made more efficient and effective and that it should be strengthened. In view of this basic purpose, the Government of Japan is actively participating in the discussions of this Working Group and is proposing that savings resulting from reform be reinvested into the development activities. The Government of Japan hopes that the discussions in the Working Group will lead to an agreement on a set of concrete and practical measures that will improve the functioning of the General Assembly and the Secretariat, and that the Group will thus contribute to achieving the U.N. reform as a whole in a balanced manner.
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