I am honoured to address the General Assembly on behalf of India at today's joint debate. Thank you for convening this important meeting. 

 

At the outset, allow me to align myself with the statement made by Algeria on behalf of Non-Aligned Movement.

 

I would like to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Wilfred I. Emvula, the Permanent Representative of Namibia and His Excellency Mr. Vladimir Drobnjak, Permanent Representative of Croatia, upon their re-appointment as co-chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Revitalization of the General Assembly and wish them success in this endeavor. They also deserve our deep appreciation for the good work done by them during the previous session.

 

 

As we mark 70th Anniversary of the United Nations, issue of UN reform, including the revitalization of the General Assembly and reform of the Security Council has assumed particular significance. We must heed the call for UN reform made by a large number of  world leaders during the recent High Level Debate held at the beginning of the 70th session of our Assembly. 

 

 

In your statement at the UN Security Council Annual Debate on Working Methods on October 20th , you said, I quote, 'it would be remiss of me to conclude without addressing the issue of Security Council Reform - arguably one of the most discussed issues within the UN and beyond, over many decades. And as was underlined by a large number of world leaders during this session's General Debate, this topic is of central importance to a large majority of the Membership'.

We note with regret that an ineffective Security Council has meant huge human costs in terms of wars and conflicts, which the international community cannot justify. The figures speak for themselves, especially the single biggest statistic of more than 60 million people affected by the malfunctioning of the Security Council.

 

It is our firm believe that urgent and comprehensive UN reform is imperative to make it reflective of current geopolitical realities and enhance its capability to meet increasingly complex and pressing transnational challenges of our time.

 

 

While we are happy that Resolution A/69/321 adopted by the General Assembly on 11 September 2015 has been able to highlight some of the important steps required on our collective journey towards a revitalized General Assembly, we firmly believe, Mr. President that we have long distance still to cover. Meanwhile, the full implementation of this resolution is imperative.

 

We believe that the General Assembly will not be empowered merely by strengthening procedures and streamlining working methods. It will only be empowered if its position as the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the United Nations under Article 10 of the UN Charter is respected in letter and in spirit. This requires that the General Assembly should take the lead in setting the global agenda and restoring the centrality of the United Nations in formulating multilateral approaches to resolving transnational issues. In particular, revitalization must restore the primacy of the UN in development matters. 

 

 

We would like to make three points in this context.  

 

First of all, it is critical that the issue of preventing encroachment upon the mandate of the General Assembly, and making the Security Council more responsive to it must be addressed. The encroachment by the Security Council on issues that traditionally fall within the GA's competence are of particular concern. The resort to thematic debates on issues that very often fall within the purview of the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council, remains an area of concern. The balance between the principal organs of the United Nations as stipulated by the Charter must be respected and maintained. 

 

Secondly, one of the more important issues before the UN in the coming year will be the selection of the next UN Secretary-General.  There is a great deal of debate on the prerogatives of the Security Council and the General Assembly in this matter.  At the heart, however, is the question of the prerogatives of the P5 and the rest of the membership of the UN.  And, that is, to a large extent, determined by something as seemingly innocuous as the working method of the Council. 

 

My delegation has pressed for the Security Council to recommend two or more names to the General Assembly.  While the pronouncements of the General Assembly do not specifically provide for this, there is - in our view - no legal impediment for the Security Council to do so.

 

The General Assembly, being the voice of the international community, must be given a greater say in the selection of the Secretary General.  This is in the interests of the United Nations system in general, and the Assembly's prerogatives in particular. It is in our collective interest to have the most appropriate next Chief Executive of the United Nations as we are beginning to implement the most ambitious Agenda 2030. 

 

Thirdly, the Assembly and the other entities that form part of the UN system must reflect best practices in its day to day functioning. This would require a review of the way the Assembly conducts its business and adoption of the best practices. 

 

 

 

In our view, the primacy of the Assembly flows from the universality of its membership as well as the diligent application of the principle of sovereign equality of all its members. Ownership therefore, of the Assembly's decisions and activities, is reflected in the degree of participation by member-states. So, the presence of political will on part of member-sates to take concrete measures to reinforce the role and authority of the Assembly is of utmost importance.

 

 

In conclusion, let me re-emphasize the need to discuss substantive measures that would strengthen the role of General Assembly as the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative body of the international community. 

 

You can count on my delegation's constructive support and participation in these efforts.