UN General Assembly
2011

only continent that has lacked a permanent seat on the Security Council since the establishment of the United Nations. Our continent has 1 billion inhabitants and hosts more than two-thirds of United Nations peacekeeping operations. We also call for permanent representation for the Group of Arab States, whose population makes up more than 11 per cent of the world’s inhabitants. Consultations on Security Council reform have been ongoing for many years, and we call for continued consultations in order to achieve a comprehensive platform, supported unanimously by Member States, for reform of the United Nations and its working methods and decision-making processes. In that regard, my country believes that we should begin with the make-up of the Security Council, the definition of its competence and responsibilities, and institutional relations between the Council and the General Assembly in order to ensure the Organization’s effectiveness and to fairly and accurately reflect, in a balanced manner, the will of the entire international community. In that context, I remind the Assembly that Mauritania is a candidate for a non-permanent seat on