Group of Friends calls for stronger, more inclusive UN

The Group of Friends of Global Governance on Thursday called for a stronger, more efficient and more inclusive United Nations at a General Assembly briefing on the UN80 Initiative, marking the group's first collective statement.

The initiative comes at a time of heightened global uncertainty and should reflect the shared expectations of the majority of UN members, "that is to uphold multilateralism, to strengthen the UN, to safeguard international rule of law and to improve global governance", the group said in a joint statement, delivered by Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN.

China delivered the statement at an informal meeting of the plenary on the UN80 Initiative on behalf of 43 members of the group.

The group was formally launched on Tuesday by founding members including China, Cuba, Iran, Palestine, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Morocco and Venezuela. It was created under the Global Governance Initiative, one of China's four major initiatives.

"The UN80 Initiative must focus on improving both the effectiveness and efficiency of the UN's work" after 80 years of contributions to international peace and security, global development and human rights, the group said. It said the UN needs to "enhance its agility, responsiveness, resilience and better deliver."

"The UN80 Initiative must address the concerns of developing countries," the statement said, pointing out that two-thirds of UN member states are developing countries, and "development is the top priority for developing countries".

The group called for reforms in the development pillar that address these gaps and expand capacity-building support for the 2030 Agenda.

"The principle of equitable geographical representation is important. Representation and voice of developing countries matter, which is also central to the Pact for the Future. The under-representation of developing countries in the secretariat must be addressed, not aggravated," it said.

The group also emphasized that the UN80 negotiations should remain "transparent and inclusive". As an intergovernmental organization, the UN must ensure equal participation by all member states across every workstream, said the group.

"The Group of Friends of Global Governance stands ready to work with all parties in advancing the UN80 Initiative in a direction that supports a more just and equitable global governance system, strengthens the UN for the long term, and serves the common interests of all member states," it said.

The UN80 Initiative, launched this year by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is a series of system-wide reforms to review and improve UN efficiencies. It focuses on structural changes, program realignments and mandate implementation reviews, according to the UN.

minluzhang@chinadailyusa.com