UN General Assembly
2008

into a discussion of substance. We welcome the recent decision by the General Assembly to continue immediately within the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters Related to the Security Council to prepare intergovernmental negotiations on the question of the Security Council’s expansion. While recognizing the need for structural reform of the United Nations, we should not lose sight of making more effective use of existing capacity. Management reform is central to all those efforts. We support further measures aimed at ensuring greater transparency, enhanced accountability and strict budget discipline. There has been some progress, but not enough by far. We live in a world with deteriorating security, a growing population, the consequences of climate change and market turbulence aggravated by high energy and food prices. We need deeper engagement with the risks we face globally. That requires a new commitment to our values and a willingness to work for an international system that has a vision of the