'UN 70th anniversary not artificial timeline for UNSC reform'

Amid India's repeated calls to reform the UN Security Council by 2015, the General Assembly President has said the United Nations' 70th anniversary should not be mistaken for "setting artificial timelines" but to ensure that progress is made towards achieving results.
General Assembly President Sam Kutesa said the 70th anniversary is a "historic opportunity" for the UNSC to "adapt to the new realities and constructs of our world and become the more broadly representative, efficient and transparent institution."
"This should not be mistaken for setting artificial timelines; it is so that together we can make progress," he said.
Kutesa's remarks run counter to the position taken by India and the US, which have said the long-delayed UNSC reform must be achieved by the "landmark" year of 2015.

In 2013, India's Ambassador to the UN Asoke Kumar Mukerji made a strong call for UNSC reform, stressing that the process to expand the powerful UN body cannot go on infinitely and a result-based timeline is crucial for a concrete outcome.
"The process of bringing about UNSC reforms cannot be seen to be an exercise ad infinitum," Mukerji had said.

In November last year, the US supported for the first time the need for UNSC reform by 2015, saying "the landmark year of 2015 is a compelling moment for the membership to consider appropriate ways to achieve successful Council reform."

The US position is similar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's September statement in the General Assembly in which he had said that the UN, including the Security Council, must be reformed by 2015 to make it more democratic and participative.
Kutesa said the Security Council reform is an "integral part" of the broader efforts to transform the United Nations into a more effective and democratic global institution.
He said 10 years after the World Summit in 2005, when world leaders expressed support for an early reform of the Security Council, not much progress has been made and it is now time to move the process forward.

"A revitalised, reformed and effective UN needs to be at the heart of the international community's effort to promote peace and security, sustainable development and human rights," said Kutesa.
"In these transformative times, a modernised UN must be the functional centre for harmonising mankind's values and actions.