In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Chancellor Scholz once again called for reform of the Security Council. He also warned against pseudo-solutions in the Ukraine war.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is pushing for a reform of the UN Security Council and has indirectly denied the veto powers the right to prevent a new order. “Ultimately it is in the hands of the General Assembly to decide on reforming the Security Council,” said the Chancellor in his speech to the UN General Assembly that night.
The composition of the Security Council, which has five permanent members: the USA, Russia, China, France and Great Britain, is outdated. “Africa deserves more weight, as do Asia and Latin America.”
Just yesterday, Ukrainian President Zelensky called for Russia to be excluded from the Security Council ahead of his speech at the UN.
Germany is aiming for a permanent seat
Scholz did not expressly repeat Germany’s desire for its own permanent seat in the highest UN body, but rather mentioned Germany’s candidacy for a two-year, non-permanent seat in 2027/28. However, he recalled that Germany is the second largest financier of the UN after the USA and has tripled its commitments for international climate financing to six billion euros.
Germany, together with India, Brazil and Japan, is aiming for a permanent seat within the framework of the so-called G4 group.
Reform has been blocked for decades
Scholz said no one should oppose Security Council reform. If there is agreement that countries in the southern hemisphere need more representation, a text with various options can be negotiated. “No country should block such open-ended negotiations with maximum demands.”
The background is a negative attitude from Russia and China. In theory, they can veto any change in composition. The reform has therefore been blocked for decades.
Scholz warns against “sham solutions” in the Ukraine war
During his speech, Scholz also supported international efforts for peace in Ukraine. “At the same time, we must beware of pseudo-solutions that only have ‘peace’ in their name,” he warned. “Because: Peace without freedom means oppression. Peace without justice is called dictatorship. Moscow must finally understand that too.”
Scholz once again called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war. In a multipolar world of the 21st century there is no longer any room for revisionism and imperialism.