Nordic Statement at the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN)

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Excellencies, Co-Chairs,

I have the honour to make this intervention on behalf of the Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and my own country Sweden.

Firstly Co-Chairs, the Nordic Countries want to again thank you for all your efforts throughout this process. We are grateful for your extensive engagement with Member States on the contribution to the Pact, and for the improvements that you have made to the draft on this basis. Even between last week’s “Un-formal”-meeting and the meeting here today, you managed to circulate another revision based on the most recent feedback.

Our contribution to the Pact should naturally include and build on convergences already made in the Elements Paper. At the same time, the Nordic countries feel that we should not be limited to convergences only. A core objective of the Summit of the Future is to transform global governance. This includes taking steps forward also on Security Council reform.

We fully support you Co-Chairs to continue your approach to maintain the three Actions, namely on: the parameters of reform; the IGN process itself; and our broader, continual, efforts towards Council reform.

In response to your third revision of the paper, please allow us to make a few comments.

Co-Chairs, on Action 1:

While we welcome many of your recent changes - such as moving the need to address the historical injustice against Africa to the top - we feel that some important nuances have been lost. We regret, for example, that we no longer recognise the need for “urgent reform” in and of itself. We agreed on "early reform" back in 2005, and should be ready to take the next logical and appropriate step in 2024.

We support the framing of the subpoints in this Action as “guiding principles”. The convergences reflected in this section are the fruit of our continued collective engagement in the IGN process, and show the progress we have made. They are important individually, but furthermore, they are integral to meaningful reform and interdependent of each other. To ensure the right balance, we feel that it is important that they all remain. In this spirit, we support bullet (e) on working methods, not as a duplication to Action three but an important complement. The Nordic countries also continue to support bullet (g), referring to a review clause.

Co-Chairs,

The Nordic countries very much welcome that the question of the veto is confirmed as a “key element” of reform. While we regret that the reference to the “significant and growing support among Member States for limitations to the scope and use of the veto” – as stated in the previous draft version - has been removed, we welcome the reference as it now stands in the third revision. It is essential that our leaders at the Summit in September express support for efforts to limit the use and scope of the veto. Global events have put the work of the Security Council in focus, and many are raising concerns about its effectiveness and in particular the use of the veto. Bullet (f) sends an important signal that work is ongoing.    

Co-Chairs,

Turning to Action 2, we believe this section represents an important recommitment to the IGN process, and importantly, sets us up to achieve reform within the IGN format.

We strongly support the reference to developing a consolidated model, based on past (and future) models presented by Member States. We believe that such a step is essential in order to move forward. After more than a decade of discussions in the IGN process, surely we are ready to take this concrete next step. In fact, we would welcome even stronger language in this regard, for example by removing the reference to undertaking this only “in the future”.

We also remain supportive of an explicit reference to the provision of resources from the UN system to the IGN process.

Finally Co-Chairs,

On Action 3, the Nordic countries see this section as a particularly important element.

While we continue our work in the IGN, improvements in the current Council’s working methods cannot wait. Given the many challenges the world is facing, we must allow for some parts of reform – including working methods – to progress. Waiting for a future enlarged Council is not enough. We recognise the steps that you have taken to clarify the ongoing complimentary nature of this work and its relationship to the efforts in Action 1, and we hope that this will help us reach an agreement.   

We support all efforts aimed at pursuing consistent and incremental, improvements towards democratizing the procedures of the Security Council, and strengthening its relationship with the General Assembly - with its own mandate on international peace and security.

We take note of other revisions made in this Action. Under bullet (b) we would have preferred to make clearer and more detailed references to the important initiatives on use of veto against credible resolutions calling for action to end genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. At the same time, we hope and expect that the current language can find wide agreement. 

Co-Chairs,

While we – the Nordic countries – had hoped to take bolder steps forward with this contribution in line with your earlier versions, we believe that the third revision draft that you have put before us remains meaningful and impactful. You have our full support in concluding this process and taking this draft forward.  

Thank you.