Statement by H.E. Mr. Motohide Yoshikawa
Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations
At the Open Debate of the Security Council on
Regional Organizations and Contemporary Challenges of Global Security
18 August 2015
(1) Opening
Madame President,
Thank you for convening this open debate on Regional Organizations and Contemporary Challenges of Global Security.
I would also like to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his thought-provoking briefing.
The international community today sees regional organizations playing significant roles in ensuring international peace and security.
This is indeed what was expected when the United Nations Charter was drafted, evident from its Chapter 8 on “Regional Arrangements.”
In response to a suggestion made in the concept note which the president distributed earlier, I wish to focus on the Asia-Pacific region to which Japan belongs.
I would like to first introduce the roles played by regional frameworks in ensuring peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region, and then share with the Council our view on how to further enhance their roles.
(2) Regional Frameworks in the Asia-Pacific Region
Madame President,
In East Asia, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) has been serving as an ASEAN centric ministerial framework to address political and security issues for more than 20 years.
The mission of ARF is to foster confidence-building in the region.
For that purpose ARF not only provides a venue for candid discussions among Ministers, but it also embraces a wide range of challenging issues, such as disaster relief, maritime security, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, as well as non-proliferation and disarmament.
I am proud to note that Japan has actively contributed to the activities of ARF by, for example, co-chairing and organizing a number of ARF inter-sessional meetings and official events.
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is another notable example.
Established in 2005, EAS has been providing a unique occasion for leaders from 18 countries from the Asia-Pacific region to gather and discuss issues of common interest and concern, including political and security challenges from a strategic point of view.
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is also an example of a regional framework at the summit level in the Pacific.
It aims to promote cooperation among its 16 Member States, in a wide range of areas, including political and security challenges.
Since 1997, the Prime Minister of Japan has hosted the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM) with the 16 PIF Member States to realize the stability and prosperity of the Pacific.
In the Asia-Pacific region, a number of regional frameworks are therefore being developed in a multi-layered manner, reflecting the political, economic and cultural diversities of the region.
We are convinced that further development of these frameworks is essential for ensuring peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
And it is from this standpoint that Japan advocates further strengthening the role of the East Asia Summit (EAS) in the political and security field, and developing it as a “premiere forum” of the region.
(3) Closing
Madame President,
Finally let me refer to the supplementary role that the UN and regional frameworks can play in the Asia-Pacific region.
In my view, in order to identify the most appropriate bodies to deal with the challenges, it is important to examine the nature of each challenge on a case-by-case basis.
Sometimes, the UN’s direct involvement might be more appropriate, which is what happened with Cambodia in the 1990’s.
Or, sometimes regional frameworks are more effective in handling issues on a region-wide scale, such as combating piracy and armed robbery against ships.
Efforts to ensure nuclear non-proliferation in East Asia are a notable example that a dual approach, both at the UN and the regional level, is important.
Japan shall not cease in its endeavor to strengthen multilateral frameworks in the Asia-Pacific, and develop closer relations with the United Nations and relevant regional organizations, with a view to realizing a more stable and peaceful Asia-Pacific.
I thank you, Madame President.
END
[NOTE: members of the abovementioned regional frameworks in the Asia-Pacific]
- ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)
Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, United States, and Viet Nam
- East Asia Summit (EAS)
Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam
- Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)
Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
