Kuwait City: During a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Kuwait stressed the importance of enhancing Arab representation in the United Nations Security Council, Al Jarida reported.
Speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, Kuwait’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Bader Al Munikh stated that the issue of fair representation in the Security Council is important and that they are determined to intensify efforts aimed at achieving comprehensive reform.
He explained that the Arab League position regarding the reform of the Security Council is to demand permanent Arab representation in the event of any future expansion of the council.
“The main challenge ahead of us regarding the issue of reform is the right to veto, which in most cases undermines the credibility of the decision-making process in the Security Council,” Al Munikh said.
During the past three decades, the veto was mostly used in cases related to the Arab region.
Al Munikh pointed out that the Arab Group represents around 350 million and that the 22 Arab countries represent around 12 per cent of the UN general membership, therefore they need fair and proportional representation.
Kuwait and the Security Council
Based on the words of Kuwait Mission to the United Nations, in regards to the work on the Security Council, “Kuwait will work on representing all the political and regional groups to which it belongs, conveying their concerns and expressing their aspirations, in a manner that would contribute to achieving security and stability regionally and globally.”
Kuwait held a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council, the first Gulf country to do so, in 1978 to 1979. Then, in 2018 to 2019, Kuwait served a second time on the UN Security Council, where it actively tackled various issues pertaining to Arab, Islamic and humanitarian causes.