The Republic of Belarus is an active participant of the UN. Belarus is convinced that the UN should have a final say in solving urgent global problems.
The UN is and will remain the most important discussion forum on key issues on the international agenda. The UN reform was set in motion because of the global shifts over the past decade as well as international challenges emerging in today’s world and demanding immediate concerted actions.
The objective of reforming the UN system is to make it tailored to the needs of the day, make it work more efficiently under new conditions and keep it up to global challenges and threats. Belarus is convinced that the UN reform should build on mutual consent of the member states.
Central to the reform are the improvement and strengthening of the General Assembly system to give it powers to decide on international issues.
In this context Belarus supports developing countries — Non-Aligned Movement members — in their effort to revitalize the General Assembly. Our country is one of the most active participants of the debate on the issue.
Belarus has been selected Vice-President of the 65th Session of the General Assembly in 2010; it strives to implement its experience as a UN member to achieve the session’s objectives.
The resolution on “Revitalization of the General Assembly” was ratified by consensus in 2009 largely thanks to Belarus’ constructive position. The main objective of the resolution is to reaffirm a key role of the General Assembly as a UN representative and deliberative body.
Higher profile of the General Assembly will contribute to its integrity and protect it from any groundless Security Council interference.
As a UN founder, Belarus will objectively benefit from implementing another vitally important strategy of the UN reform, that is, reforming the UN Security Council.
Belarus believes that the following developments should be implemented:
a. improving the functioning of the General Assembly and increasing its transparency and accountability to the General Assembly and member states; preventing its groundless interference with the authority of the General Assembly, Economic and Social Council and Human Rights Council;
b. reaching mutual consent by increasing the number of UN Security Council members;
c. provide the group of Eastern Europe countries with an additional non-permanent member position.
The conflict between the main negotiating groups trying to reform the Security Council according to their interests is booming now. In this context Belarus regularly participates in the discussion to elaborate a mutually beneficial strategy of the Security Council enlargement.
There’s a special focus on Belarus’ proposals to enhance the Council’s operations. The UN members are now reviewing the following initiatives: more involvement of the non-member states in the work and decision-making of the Security Council; organizing sessions open to the member states without mass media and NGOs; introducing deadlines for a resolution to be passed on international issues.
Belarus believes that the UN Security Council should have a leading role in managing international crisis and establishing international peace and security. Belarus’ decision to participate in the UN peacekeeping in 2010 is express evidence of the country’s commitment. Belarus intends indeed to make substantial contributions to UN peacekeeping.
The international community strives to revitalize the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and transform it from a coordinating body dealing with topical commissions and UN Committees on economic and social problems to a major consultative and decision-making body in the social and economic sphere. Belarus makes an important contribution to the process. The country has been elected to the Economic and Social Council four times (last time in 2006 for the 2007-2009 period). The heads of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus to the UN were elected ECOSOC Vice-President in 1998, 1999 and 2008. A number of strategies to put humanitarian aid issues on ECOSOC agenda were elaborated in 1998-1999 under the chairmanship of Belarus. A comprehensive analysis of the General Assembly resolution on improving the operational activities of the United Nations system was done in 2008, as overseen by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus to the UN.
Given its previous successes, Belarus has decided to run in the ECOSOC election for the 2012-2014 period. The election is due during the 66th session of the General Assembly in autumn 2011.
It is impossible to achieve the 2000 UN Millennium Development Goals without creating a viable structure for the operational activities of the UN system.
A vivid example is the 2010 UN Summit. In this context, Belarus actively participates in the international dialogue to coordinate UN operations more efficiently.
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