These days, there is a huge and heated debate going on in international diplomacy and global forums regarding the relevance of the United Nations (UN) and changes in its structure. In this series, the newly elected President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Khalilur Rahman has given a very strong and clear statement regarding global security and geopolitical balance. Upon formally assuming office as President of the General Assembly, Khalilur Rahman has strongly pledged to pursue urgent, serious and meaningful reforms of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). His statement has come at a time when the whole world is demanding to move out of the old and worn-out international structure created after the Second World War and to mold the global institutions in accordance with the new realities of the 21st century. Let us know in detail what Khalilur Rahman has said in his first address regarding global reforms and why the need for major changes is being felt most in the United Nations today. President of the United Nations General Assembly, Khalilur Rahman showed unwavering seriousness on the Security Council reforms. Immediately after taking oath as the President of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday local time, Khalilur Rahman addressed all the countries of the world. During his address, he particularly emphasized that he is completely serious and committed to carrying forward the process of long pending meaningful reforms in the UN Security Council. He acknowledged that at present there is a huge lack of mutual trust between countries at the global level, which is a major threat to the functioning of any international organization. Rehman said in clear words that if this great organization has to successfully face the challenges of the coming future and maintain its relevance, then it will have to make some very deep and far-reaching reforms in its internal system. 'This is not the time of 1945, the world has progressed a lot', said Rahman. During his historic speech, Khalilur Rahman mentioned the historical context on which the foundation of the United Nations rests. He said bluntly, "This is not the time of 1945." He was referring to the period when the United Nations was established in 1945 to maintain global peace after the end of World War II, and its structure was prepared according to the geopolitical circumstances of that time. The irony today is that this institution is still stuck within the framework of the same old and outdated system. Referring to the global community that has entered the modern world of the 21st century, he said that today's global conditions, economic forces and aspirations of the countries have gone far ahead of 1945, hence now it has become mandatory to change this organization to suit the modern times. Khalilur Rahman has announced to take concrete steps to take forward the process of reforms in the Security Council at the grassroots level by announcing the appointment of inter-governmental negotiations and facilitators. He said that they will soon appoint qualified and experienced 'facilitators' for 'Inter-Governmental Negotiations' to speed up this entire reform process. He believes that unless the process of transparent and fair dialogue is intensified among all the member countries, it is impossible to bring about any meaningful change in the veto power of the Security Council and the nature of its permanent membership. To regain the lost trust and credibility of a major global organization like the United Nations in the eyes of the public and countries around the world, it is extremely important that the reforms undertaken are not just on paper, but have a visible impact on the ground. Who is Khalilur Rahman, know his diplomatic and diplomatic journey. Khalilur Rahman, originally from Bangladesh, was elected President of the United Nations General Assembly with huge support in the month of June this year. His diplomatic career has been extremely illustrious and full of wide-ranging experience. Rehman has previously served in various important positions in his country's United Nations Mission. In addition, he has also worked very closely as the Official Representative of UNCTAD in New York. Not only this, he has taken charge of all the sensitive matters related to economic, social and development in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary General and has proved his efficiency. He has been entrusted with the responsibility of this important post because of his deep understanding of international affairs and global economics. Khalilur Rahman formally took over the reins and presidency of the United Nations General Assembly from his predecessor Annalena Baerbach during the dignified assuming office ceremony. As per tradition, during this time he received the traditional and iconic hammer used to conduct the proceedings of the United Nations General Assembly, known across the world as 'Thar Hammer'. As soon as he took over this gavel, he gave a message to the global community that during his tenure, he has not come only to fulfill the formalities, but is ready to work with full force on his agenda of expanding the Security Council and bringing necessary reforms in it. Voice of the Global South and demand for expansion of the Security Council This statement of Khalilur Rahman has come at a time when many developing countries of the world (Global South) including India are continuously raising questions on the current form of the United Nations Security Council. The veto power currently held by the five permanent members of the Security Council (P5) reflects the powers of 1945, while today major regions such as Asia, Africa and Latin America are being ignored. India has been demanding for a long time that a large democratic country like India should get permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council so that one-third of the world's population can be truly represented. This stance of the new President of the General Assembly, Khalilur Rahman, has given a new hope to those countries who have been advocating the expansion of UNSC and democratic reforms for a long time. In the coming days, it will be very interesting to see how successful Rahman proves to be in building a consensus among the global superpowers in his new role.
