ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reiterated that renewed multilateralism remains the only effective response to the world's interconnected challenges, calling for stronger United Nations institutions, a more equitable global financial system and comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council.
Speaking at an informal meeting of the UN General Assembly on "Taking Stock of the Pact for the Future" in New York, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said Islamabad's approach to implementing the commitments of the Pact for the Future is guided by its long-standing belief in multilateral cooperation.
He said a revitalized UN General Assembly is essential for a stronger United Nations, stressing that the Assembly's Charter-mandated role in maintaining international peace and security, alongside the Security Council, remains crucial.
The ambassador said the General Assembly should also play a central role in addressing emerging global challenges, including artificial intelligence, outer space and the global commons. He noted that Pakistan has actively participated in the Ad Hoc Working Group on Revitalization to advance this vision.
Highlighting the need for reforms in the international financial architecture, Ambassador Ahmad called for global financial and economic governance to become more equitable and democratic. He urged greater access to concessional financing, meaningful debt relief and implementation of the Sevilla Commitments.
He said Pakistan, in its capacity as Vice-Chair, had contributed to the launch of the Borrowers' Platform and remains actively engaged in its work. He also emphasized that the UN Economic and Social Council's Charter-mandated role in promoting international economic cooperation and coordination should be utilized more effectively.
On Security Council reform, the ambassador reiterated Pakistan's support for comprehensive reform to make the Council more representative, democratic, transparent, accountable, and effective.
He maintained that creating new permanent seats would entrench existing inequalities and was incompatible with the objective of meaningful reform.
"A reformed Council must instead reflect the collective interests of the wider membership, particularly developing countries. Reform for all — privilege for none," he said, adding that the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process remains the appropriate forum for advancing reforms.
He stressed that genuine convergence among member states, rather than artificial deadlines, should guide the reform process.
Concluding his remarks, Ambassador Ahmad said the success of the Pact for the Future would ultimately be judged not by the number of meetings or processes held, but by whether international institutions become genuinely more representative, accountable, effective, democratic and equitable.
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