New York, 8 May 2017. Cuba outlined its considerations regarding regional representation, widening of its membership and member category, in consultations on intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform.
In this regard, the Cuban Ambassador Humberto Rivero Rosario offered great importance to the discussion of regional representation and considered that the main objective of the Council’s widening should be the correction of the current underrepresentation of developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America. “The fact that developing countries are not adequately represented in the Security Council undermines the interests of the Council, its authority and credibility”, he noted.
He valued an increase of new permanent members of two countries in Africa, two developing countries in Asia and two countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. As to the increase in non-permanent members, he reiterated Cuba’s consideration that it should reach a total of at least 15 members.
He explained that not widening the permanent membership and doing so only for non-permanent seats, would broaden the existent gap between permanent and non-permanent members; would intensify the existent disproportion between developed and developing countries in the Council; the Council would be less representative, and hence, less legitimate and effective.
At the end, the Cuban diplomat expressed that Cuba supports the fact that the widening of the Council shall reach not less than 26, and explained that only with such a figure the proportion between members of the Security Council and that of UN Member States would draw near to the proportion it had at the time the Organization was founded.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations