World’s path to peace should no longer be blocked by one or two countries, Kuwait’s ambassador to UN tells Arab News

Special World’s path to peace should no longer be blocked by one or two countries, Kuwait’s ambassador to UN tells Arab News
Decades of debate on reforming the Security Council culminated last week in a pact that commits member states to implementing long-demanded changes. (AFP)
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Updated 29 September 2024
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World’s path to peace should no longer be blocked by one or two countries, Kuwait’s ambassador to UN tells Arab News

World’s path to peace should no longer be blocked by one or two countries, Kuwait’s ambassador to UN tells Arab News
  • Tareq AlBanai highlights problem of ability of single veto-wielding UNSC permanent member to obstruct action even when majority supports a motion
  • Landmark Pact for the Future adopted this week at 79th UNGA session commits world leaders to reform Security Council to better reflect today’s realities

NEW YORK: Decades of debate on reforming the UN Security Council reached what some are calling a turning point this week with the adoption of a “groundbreaking” pact that commits member states to implementing long-demanded changes.

For Tareq AlBanai, Kuwait’s permanent representative to the UN, the pact was the culmination of two years of work built on the belief that no single member state should be able to obstruct action on a matter of global urgency.

Since 2022, AlBanai and Austria’s ambassador to the UN have spearheaded the inter-governmental negotiations to reform the Security Council, whose five permanent members have retained their veto power since the UN’s formation in 1945.




Tareq AlBanai, Kuwait’s permanent representative to the UN. (KUNA photo)

AlBanai described his time co-chairing the inter-governmental negotiations on Security Council reforms as a “labor of love.”

“The Security Council is the only body charged with the maintenance of international peace and security,” he told Arab News. “It is the cornerstone of the multilateral system and the UN when it comes to peace and security. The everyday man around the world — when he thinks of the UN, he thinks of the Security Council.

“And when we see the Security Council unable to act on the most pressing situations around the world that threaten international peace and security, you lose faith in this institution.

“And that is not a good thing. It is the only, truly, universal, multilateral system that we have.”

The mounting calls to reform the council are decades in the making.

Countries such as India, Brazil, Germany and Japan have renewed their appeal for permanent seats to better reflect the geopolitical realities of the 21st century. Meanwhile, the Permanent 5 members (US, UK, France, Russia and China) have urged caution, highlighting the need for “consensus and stability.”

UN SecurityCouncil Members

Permanent members

• China

• France

• Russia

• United Kingdom

• United States

Non-permanent members elected every 2 years

(Until 2024)

• Ecuador

• Japan

• Malta

• Mozambique

• Switzerland

(Until 2025)

• Algeria

• Guyana

• South Korea

• Slovenia

• Sierra Leone

* Elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly

(Source: UN.Org)

The intergovernmental negotiations led by Kuwait and Austria have included discussions on regional representation, the criteria for new permanent members and the balance of power within the Security Council.

“A reformed Security Council, in my opinion, needs to be a place where we can secure collective action through the collective understanding of the members,” AlBanai said.

“No member state should have the ability to stop the majority of the world from taking decisive action on any matter at hand.

“And if they decide to use a prerogative, then there must be ways that we can, as an international community, through the General Assembly or through any other mechanisms we agree on in the future, find an alternative path.

“The path to peace cannot be (stymied) by one, two or even three member states when the majority of the world believes that the way forward is in a specific manner.”

The Pact for the Future — adopted this week at the 79th session of UN General Assembly after nine months of negotiations — offers a consensus vision for cooperation among countries in tackling challenges ranging from climate and artificial intelligence to escalating conflicts and increasing inequality and poverty.

But, more importantly for those eying Security Council reform, the pact also commits world leaders to reform the 15-member organ to better reflect today’s world, “redress the historical injustice against Africa,” which has no permanent seat, and correct the underrepresentation of the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America.

Austria and Kuwait led the negotiations on council reform with vigor, holding a series of televised debates on the topic. Alongside discussions on the main pact, UN members hosted isolated Security Council reform talks, recognizing that the topic could complicate agreements on other issues included in the document.

Guy Ryder, the UN’s under secretary-general for policy, called the language in the pact “groundbreaking,” highlighting the commitment to develop a consolidated model of Security Council reform.

“Now, this might sound rather esoteric, and this would be one of the most difficult things to explain to the person in the street, but for those engaged in this type of process since the 1960s, and the co-facilitators of negotiations, Austria and Kuwait, this is groundbreaking language,” Ryder told Arab News.




Guy Ryder, the UN’s under secretary-general for policy. (un.org photo)

AlBanai agreed, highlighting the avenue to substantial reform that the pact has opened.

“Is it groundbreaking? Well, it’s the first time since 1963 that we have a commitment at the head of state and government level to further enhance the Security Council,” he said, calling for a council that is representative, transparent, effective, inclusive, democratic and accountable.

This is essential for the operation of a functioning multilateral system, according to Al-Banai.

“If we can manage through this process to enhance not only the capacity of the Security Council, but the actual shape, form and actions of the council by increasing its membership, by making it more representative of the world we live in today in 2024, and not the world of 1945, then we have achieved something,” he said.

With only the first step on a long journey ahead having been taken, AlBanai is acutely aware that reform has been a painstakingly slow process.

In the months after the UN was founded in 1945, some member states had already recognized the need for a more flexible Security Council. It was only in the late 1970s that some brought the issue of council reform to the attention of the General Assembly.

Yet substantial progress has remained elusive. One of the most significant barriers to reform has been the frequent turnover of diplomats and experts at the UN, which can stifle continuity in discussions.

To address this, AlBanai and his co-chair, Austrian Ambassador Alexander Marschik, prioritized transparency in negotiations.




Austrian Ambassador to the United Nations Alexander Marschik. (AFP/File)

Through initiatives like webcasting meetings and creating a comprehensive repository of documents, they aimed to make the reform process accessible to a broader audience, including NGOs and academic institutions. That decision has opened the doors for new stakeholders to engage with the reform process, fostering a more inclusive atmosphere for discussion.

One of the most controversial results of the Security Council’s existing format has been the increasingly liberal use of veto power by some permanent members.

In recent years, lone members of the P5 have paralyzed and undermined the credibility of the council, in a pattern that risks damaging the reputation of the entire organization, according to representatives from a wide spectrum of countries. 

AlBanai highlighted the troubling reality of a single veto-wielding permanent member being able to obstruct action, even when the majority of the council supports a motion.

This gridlock has been most evident in discussions surrounding the war in Gaza, with repeated vetoes preventing meaningful action on a ceasefire and urgent humanitarian issues.

“(The veto’s) use or misuse have been a central focus of member states because, unfortunately, one member, or a combination of members, with that ability can stop the movement of the wider international community toward addressing an issue as important as the genocide currently happening in Gaza or any other matter that is under consideration in the Security Council,” AlBanai said.




In this photo taken on December 8, 2023, Ambassador Robert A. Wood, US alternate representative for special political affairs in the United Nations, raises his hand to veto a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. (AFP)

While many member states advocate for the abolition of the veto, such a change is complex, requiring the agreement of the existing veto holders, he added.

“It’s unrealistic to expect that the current P5 will agree to eliminate their own power.”

To sidestep this quandary, discussions have shifted toward giving new permanent members — should they be added — veto power, but the proposal has proved contentious among member states.

Those in opposition argue for the need to reduce veto use entirely, with calls to ban use of the veto power in cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

There remains broad support, however, for expanding council membership, in both permanent and non-permanent categories, and for unrepresented or underrepresented regions and continents, such as Africa and Asia, to have a “meaningful seat” at the table. 

One notable development in the reform discussions came in the form of a recent US proposal to add two permanent seats for Africa in the council, though without veto power.

“What I like about the American proposal is that it invites conversation,” said AlBanai, highlighting the importance of moving from abstract discussion to concrete action.

As part of their efforts, Kuwait and Austria introduced “model discussions,” which invited member states and country blocs to present their models of a reformed Security Council.

“That allows the opportunity to move from a conceptual kind of conversation into an actual, almost 3D conversation, where member states sit at the podium with the co-chairs and present, and then all other member states are given the opportunity to actually ask questions and to, if you will, poke holes in this model,” said AlBanai.

He welcomed the US proposal as a positive step and encouraged other member states to do the same: “The Americans have moved from one African member to now two African members. Maybe they’ll move to two permanent African members with a veto in the future. Who knows? But we have to have that conversation, and we have to inject new blood into it.”


READ MORE: 

• UN Security Council must reform to ‘reflect realities of modern world’: Kuwait crown prince

• UN Security Council falls short of meeting aspirations, says Arab League chief

 Saudi FM calls for UN reform

 Bahrain supports UN reform that ‘reflects current geopolitical realities’: Crown prince

• Reform of UN can ‘give Africa a voice,’ Mauritanian president says

• Algerian FM calls for UN reform to meet ‘dangers lurking all over the world’


The discussions on UNSC reform have also included a focus on regional representation.

One longstanding proposal that has been almost universally accepted is adding a permanent seat for the Arab world, which has long been advocated by the Arab League.

Cross Regional Groups have also introduced the idea of permanent seats for themselves, such as Small Island Developing States, known as SIDS, as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

“We have to consider these ideas,” said AlBanai.

“I don’t know what the criteria is. Is it the number of agenda items that are discussed in the Security Council? Is it your population? Is it the fact that you have the biggest army? The biggest economy? Could it be the number of international treaties that you’ve signed? Your compliance with international law? There are so many criteria out there, and the discussions should help us narrow in on who is deserving of this seat and how that could be in the future.

“But, surely, the most important thing is that we have a Security Council that reflects the realities of today.”
 

 


In hospital, a resting Pope Francis sits out Sunday mass

In hospital, a resting Pope Francis sits out Sunday mass
Updated 16 February 2025
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In hospital, a resting Pope Francis sits out Sunday mass

In hospital, a resting Pope Francis sits out Sunday mass
  • Francis was admitted Friday to Rome’s Gemelli hospital with bronchitis, one of several bouts of flu or bronchitis he has caught in recent winters

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis sat out mass and his traditional Angelus prayer from hospital on Sunday, with a Vatican health official saying the 88-year-old pontiff needed to preserve his strength for the Church’s busy Jubilee year.
Francis was admitted Friday to Rome’s Gemelli hospital with bronchitis, one of several bouts of flu or bronchitis he has caught in recent winters.
The Vatican said Saturday that doctors prescribed “absolute rest,” although they said tests had indicated some improvements in his condition.
Unable to attend Sunday mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope sent a written address to a group of artists and other cultural figures in attendance.
“I would have liked to be among you but, as you know, I am here at the Gemelli Hospital because I still need some treatment for my bronchitis,” Francis wrote.
During the mass – which is usually presided over by the pope – Cardinal Jose Tolentino de Mendonca read Francis’s homily.
“We live in a time when new walls are being erected, when differences become a pretext for division rather than an opportunity for mutual enrichment,” the cardinal read. “But you, men and women of the world of culture, are called to build bridges.”
The head of the health office for the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Massimo Angelelli, told AFPTV it was “absolutely necessary for him to recover his strength” as “the Jubilee is still long.”
The Catholic Church has designated 2025 a “Jubilee Year” that is expected to draw more than 30 million visitors to Rome.
Occurring every 25 years, the Jubilee is intended as a period of reflection and penance, and marked by a long list of cultural and religious events – many of them presided over by the pope.
Despite his health issues – which include knee pain and his reliance on a wheelchair – the pope keeps a very busy schedule and has said he has no current plans to slow down.
But in the days ahead of his hospitalization, Francis – who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man – several times asked aides to read his public speeches aloud on his behalf.
On Saturday, the Vatican said in a statement that tests had confirmed the pope was suffering from a “respiratory tract infection” but was not exhibiting signs of fever, and showed “improvement in some values.”


Indonesia in talks with UAE to develop aluminium industry

Indonesia in talks with UAE to develop aluminium industry
Updated 16 February 2025
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Indonesia in talks with UAE to develop aluminium industry

Indonesia in talks with UAE to develop aluminium industry
  • Indonesia has vast reserves of critical minerals, including bauxite, the main source of aluminium
  • UAE’s EGA to help expand production capacity by up to 400,000 tons a year at North Sumatra smelter

JAKARTA: The Indonesian government is in talks with UAE’s Emirate Global Aluminium to develop its aluminium industry, as the Southeast Asian nation seeks to utilize its vast reserves of minerals.

Indonesia has rich deposits of minerals like copper and bauxite — the main source of aluminium — and is the world’s largest source of nickel. Its government has been working to attract foreign investment to help develop its mineral processing industry.

In a meeting with EGA CEO Abdulnasser Ibrahim Saif bin Kalban, Coordinating Minister for Economy Affairs Airlangga Hartarto discussed ways to move forward plans for the Dubai-based company to help aluminium production in Indonesia.

“We need to make sure that cooperation in the aluminium sector will have a significant impact on the Indonesian economy, especially for jobs creation,” he said in a statement issued on Saturday.

Hartarto was at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, where he also held talks with other UAE officials and business leaders.

EGA and state-owned Indonesia Asahan Aluminium, or Inalum, have signed several strategic partnership agreements in the last few years, aimed at boosting Indonesia’s aluminium production capacity. This includes increasing that of Inalum’s North Sumatra smelter by up to 400,000 tons a year.

The Emirati company, one of the world’s largest aluminium producers, also said it was planning to explore alternative sources of renewable energy in Indonesia to support its aluminium production plans.

“With our capabilities and the advanced technology that we use, along with the natural resources potential in Indonesia — we will be able to produce the best alumina in high quantities,” Abdulnasser was quoted as saying.

But Indonesia still needs to work out low-carbon options to generate enough electricity for green aluminium production, according to the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs.

Green aluminium, or low-carbon aluminium, is a sustainable metal produced using methods powered by renewable energy sources, essentially reducing the carbon footprint.


Taiwan detects 24 Chinese aircraft as Canadian ship transits waters

Taiwan detects 24 Chinese aircraft as Canadian ship transits waters
Updated 16 February 2025
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Taiwan detects 24 Chinese aircraft as Canadian ship transits waters

Taiwan detects 24 Chinese aircraft as Canadian ship transits waters
  • It was the first Canadian naval vessel to transit the waterway this year
  • During the Canadian warship’s passage, China’s military radioed the ship and warned it to change course

TAIPEI: Taiwan said it detected 24 Chinese military aircraft near the island on Sunday as a Canadian warship passed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
It was the first Canadian naval vessel to transit the waterway this year, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said, and came days after two US ships made the passage.
The United States and its allies regularly pass through the 180-kilometer (112-mile) Taiwan Strait to reinforce its status as an international waterway, angering China.
Beijing has never ruled Taiwan, but it claims the democratic island as part of its territory and has threatened to bring it under its control by force.
“The Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa sailed through the Taiwan Strait on February 16,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Canada has once again taken concrete action to uphold the Taiwan Strait’s freedom, peace and openness, demonstrating its firm stance that the strait is international waters,” it added.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Sunday that 24 Chinese aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, were detected carrying “joint combat readiness patrols” with military vessels around the island.
During the Canadian warship’s passage, China’s military radioed the ship and warned it to change course, Taiwanese media reported.
A US destroyer and an ocean survey ship traveled through the strait starting on February 10, drawing criticism from China’s military, which said it sent the “wrong signal and increased security risks.”
Data published by the Taiwan defense ministry showed 62 Chinese military aircraft were detected near the island in the 48 hours to 6:00 am local time on Wednesday, coinciding with the US ships’ transit.
Washington’s latest passage through the Taiwan Strait was the first time since US President Donald Trump took office in January.
It came after Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said they “opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo (in the Taiwan Strait) by force or coercion.”


M23 rebels enter center of strategic city Bukavu

M23 rebels enter center of strategic city Bukavu
Updated 16 February 2025
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M23 rebels enter center of strategic city Bukavu

M23 rebels enter center of strategic city Bukavu
  • The armed group had been advancing on the capital of South Kivu province since seizing the city of Goma in late January

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels were seen in the center of eastern Congo’s second-largest city, Bukavu, on Sunday, said a local official, a security source and five eyewitnesses, as a spokesperson for the militia told Reuters: “we are there.”
The armed group had been advancing on the capital of South Kivu province since seizing the city of Goma in late January. The fall of Bukavu, if confirmed, would represent the most significant expansion of territory under the M23’s control since the latest insurgency started in 2022.
M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma said in a telephone message that the group was in the city.
The Congolese army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I’m at home, and I can see with my own eyes the M23 entering our town,” a local official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.


US presented Ukraine with a document to access its minerals but offered almost nothing in return

US presented Ukraine with a document to access its minerals but offered almost nothing in return
Updated 16 February 2025
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US presented Ukraine with a document to access its minerals but offered almost nothing in return

US presented Ukraine with a document to access its minerals but offered almost nothing in return
  • Proposal focused on how the US could use Kyiv’s rare earth minerals ‘as compensation’ for support already given to Ukraine
  • A senior White House official said that Zelensky’s rejection was ‘short-sighted’

MUNICH, Germany: Ukrainian officials were told not to sign an agreement with the US on rare earth minerals because the document focused on US interests, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, and did not offer any specific security guarantees in return, said one current and one former senior official familiar with the talks.
The proposal focused on how the US could use Kyiv’s rare earth minerals “as compensation” for support already given to Ukraine by the Biden administration and as payment for future aid, current and former senior Ukrainian officials said speaking anonymously so they could speak freely. A senior White House official said that Zelensky’s rejection was “short-sighted.”
Ukraine has vast reserves of critical minerals which are used in aerospace, defense and nuclear industries. The Trump administration has indicated it is interested in accessing them to reduce dependence on China but Zelensky said any exploitation would need to be tied to security guarantees for Ukraine that would deter future Russian aggression.
“I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest,” Zelensky told The Associated Press on Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
The US presented Ukraine with a document but “there are no very concrete things about security guarantees in this document,” Zelensky said.
“For me is very important the connection between some kind of security guarantees and some kind of investment,” the Ukrainian president said.
Zelensky did not go into details about why he instructed his officials not to sign the document which was given to Ukrainian officials on Wednesday by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bassent on a visit to Kyiv.
“It’s a colonial agreement and Zelensky cannot sign it,” the former senior official said.
White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes did not explicitly confirm the offer, but said in a statement that “President Zelensky is being short-sighted about the excellent opportunity the Trump Administration has presented to Ukraine.” The Trump administration has grown weary of sending additional US aid to Ukraine and Hughes said a minerals deal would allow American taxpayers to “recoup” money sent to Kyiv while growing Ukraine’s economy.
Hughes added that the White House believes “binding economic ties with the United States will be the best guarantee against future aggression and an integral part of lasting peace.” He added, “The US recognizes this, the Russians recognize this, and the Ukrainians must recognize this.”
US officials in discussions with their Ukrainian counterparts in Munich were commercially minded and largely concentrated on the specifics of exploring the minerals and how to form a possible partnership to do that with Ukraine, the senior official said.
The potential value of the deposits in Ukraine has not yet been discussed, with much unexplored or close to the front line.
The US proposal apparently did not take into account how the deposits would be secured in the event of continuing Russian aggression. The official suggested the US did not have “ready answers,” to that question and that one of their takeaways from discussions in Munich will be how to secure any mineral extraction operation in Ukraine involving people and infrastructure.
Any deal must be in accordance with Ukrainian law and acceptable to the Ukrainian people, the senior Ukrainian official said.
“Subsoil belongs to Ukrainians under the Constitution,” Kseniiia Orynchak, founder of the National Association of Mining Industry of Ukraine previously said suggesting a deal would need popular support.
Zelensky and Vance did not discuss the details of the US document during their meeting Friday at the Munich Security Conference, the senior official said. That meeting was “very good” and “substantive,” with Vance making it clear his and Trump’s main goal was to achieve a durable, lasting peace, the senior official said.
Zelensky told Vance that real peace requires Ukraine to be in a “strong position” when starting negotiations, stressed that the USnegotiators should come to Ukraine, and that the US, Ukraine and Europe must be at the negotiating table for talks with Russia.
But Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, all but cut Europeans out of any Ukraine-Russia talks, despite Zelensky’s request.
“You can have the Ukrainians, the Russians, and clearly the Americans at the table talking,” Kellogg said at an event hosted by a Ukrainian tycoon at the Munich Security Conference. Pressed on whether that meant Europeans won’t be included, he said: “I’m a school of realism. I think that’s not going to happen.”
Ukraine is now preparing a “counter proposal” which will be delivered to the US in “the near future,” the official said.
“I think it’s important that the vice president understood me that if we want to sign something, we have to understand that it will work,” Zelensky said.
That means, he said, “It will bring money and security.”