United Nations, Sep 4 — General Assembly President, Annalena Baerbock, says there is some progress in the process for the reform of the Security Council with several options "put on the table" during current session.
"We took a step forward", she said on Thursday at her final news conference as president.
"We did not only continue the process, but for the first time, different options for the reform were put on the table", she said.
India and several countries, however, do not see this going far enough to get the reform process moving because it still would not amount to a negotiating text that they have been demanding.
There was a "strong call for the representation of African states as also [for more] permanent members in the Security Council", she said.
However, she also conceded that the five permanent members would have to agree to reforming the Security Council, which is "not really realistic".
Soldiering on with the reform process known as the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN), she said, "Redefining leadership is not to give up because you cannot achieve the best solution, but to work on the steps you can go [on with]".
Baerbock blamed the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto powers for the UN's inability to deal with the intractable conflicts and wars.
As "we have seen more wars and conflicts, we have seen the blockage in the Security Council on questions on peace and security", she said.
But "we took a step forward, and on peace and security" when she called for two General Assembly meetings on Security Council vetoes, she said.
At these meetings on the veto of a resolution on the Gaza crisis by the US and another on the Strait of Hormuz confrontation by China and Russia, those countries had to explain their actions and listen to reactions by other UN members.
She also hit out at the secretive Security Council process for electing the successor to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term ends this year.
US Alternate Representative Jennifer Locetta accused her last month of "overreach and irresponsible actions" that could "undermine" the election process by holding open meetings at which the candidates explained their vision for the UN and answered questions from UN members and civil society representatives.
Baerbock countered the UN's credibility was at stake "if we allow a process again, where behind closed doors some will be chosen who is not defending all the three principles of this organization".
The Security Council with the agreement of the permanent members – in reality, the US, Russia and China – recommends a candidate to the General Assembly for what is usually proforma vote of approval.
She spoke up about the issue of a woman becoming the next secretary-general.
"After 80 years you have to consider if this organisation is living up to their own principles, if again a woman would be not selected", she said.
"So, it is the core about the credibility of this house whether it practices what it preaches", she added.
When her term ends next week, Baerbrock said she will be leaving international diplomacy.
Columbia University announced that she will be joining its School of International and Public Affairs as a professor of professional practice and the co-director of the master's programme in Global Leadership.
Baerbock is a former foreign minister of Germany, which together with India, Brazil and Japan, forms the G4, a group that campaigns for Security Council reform and support each other for permanent seats.
While, as she said, proposals have been "put on the table", it is short of the demand by the G4 and several other countries for a negotiating text which would advance the negotiations that have been stuck for 17 years in the IGN process, and nearly 35 years since the General Assembly took up Security Council reforms.
A small group of countries calling itself Uniting for Consensus (UfdC) that includes Pakistan and is led by Italy has used procedural manoeuvres to block the adoption of a negotiating text that would be the firm basis for negotiations.
One of the main proposals for reform is the G4 plan for expanding the Security Council membership to 25 or 26 seats by adding six new permanent members and 4 or 5 non-permanent members.
The African Union proposal is for giving the continent two permanent seats in addition to non-permanent seats.
The UfC wants only the addition of seats with longer terms and allowing for renewable terms.