US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has said the reform of the UN Security Council is still being talked about by many countries, including India, and one of the major priorities of the Trump Administration is to make necessary reforms in the world body for effective functioning.
"I think that Security Council reform is still being talked about, and I know that it's something that India wants," Haley told reporters at a White House news conference ahead of the annual General Assembly session of the UN beginning next week.
"Many other countries want it as well. So we'll have to wait and see," Haley said as she briefed reporters on America's priorities at the UN next week.
Trump is scheduled to deliver his maiden address to the world body next week. Haley was joined by the National Security Advisor Lt Gen H R McMaster in giving a preview of the US position at the United Nations next week.
"On Monday, the president will join senior UN leadership and the leaders of more than 120 other nations to discuss reforming the institution. The president will express support for Secretary General Guterres' reform efforts. The United Nations of course, holds tremendous potential to realise its founding ideals, but only if it's run more efficiently and effectively," McMaster said.
Indian-American Haley, who has received accolades for her diplomatic skills since joining the administration in January, said the president will highlight the UN reform event.
"It is very, very important. We've got a massive reform package being led by the Secretary General that really streamlines not just the processes, but also that budget as it goes forward, and makes the UN much more effective," she said.
"We basically have the president headlining a UN reform effort, which would really support the Secretary General. But the impressive part is we asked other countries to sign on to their support of reform and 120 countries have signed on, and will be in attendance. That's a miraculous number," she said.
Haley said the vice president will be doing two very important briefings.
"He's going to do one on Human Rights Council. Now more than ever human rights matters. We say all the time if a government doesn't take of its people, bad things will happen. And I think we're seeing that in multiple places, and that's all the reason why the Human Rights Council really needs to be effective," she said.
"We have offered reform. I think the vice president will go and not only support the reform, but talk about why it's needed and the areas that are really needing to be addressed when it comes to human rights," she added.
"We can all say it is a new day at the UN. The UN has shifted over the past several months. It's not just about talking, it's about action. The members are starting to get used to act, whether it's Security Council resolutions. Whether it's with UN reform, whether it's with peacekeeping, we're starting to see a lot of changes at the UN," Haley said.
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