The second day of the conference started with the topic “Can a Divided UN Security Council Still Fulfil its Mandate in the Current Polarised World?”, moderated by Annelies Verstichel, Diplomatic Advisor to Belgian Deputy Prime Minister. The panel was initiated with the question of whether there is any hope regarding the work of the UN Security Council and how its activity could be challenged by possible changes in work.
Thomas Gurber, Deputy State Secretary, Head of the UN Division, and the Ambassador, stated that “the UN Security Council is dealing with the most pressing security issue in the world, the question is not is the glass half full, but how many of glasses have we prevented from breaking”. He emphasized the Swiss role during its mandate in the UN Security Council and its focus on finding viable solutions for using the UN as an already functioning tool.
Gazmend Turdiu, Secretary General, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Republic of Albania, pointed out that the activity of the UN Security Council should be assessed from the viewpoint of the end goal. He expressed Albania’s proposal that African countries should be more represented, as well as another member from Eastern Europe, for a more balanced UNSC.
Karin Landrgen, Executive Director, Security Council Report stressed that “the UN Security Council should be better than the world around it” and drew attention to the lower number of resolutions passed in the past two years. The biggest problem, she pointed out, is that there are so many issues Security Council has not discussed at all. She emphasized the importance of the UN Security Council being more inclusive of the ideas of other states. Furthermore, she pointed out that the regional organizations are the area for further development and inclusive processes.
Božena Forštnarič Boroje, Acting Director-General for Multilateral Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Republic of Slovenia, underlined that veto powers are not going away, but that they should be “limited in cases of atrocities”. She stressed the importance of the General Assembly in need of reform.
