WASHINGTON: Pakistan has called for strengthening the United Nations General Assembly’s role in maintaining international peace and security, particularly when the Security Council is unable to act, and proposed a dedicated mechanism to monitor the implementation of Assembly resolutions.
Presenting Pakistan’s proposal at a General Assembly plenary session on Friday, First Secretary Ansar Shah said revitalising the world body required political commitment to ensure that the Assembly could fully exercise its authority under the UN Charter.
“A revitalised General Assembly is essential to a revitalised United Nations,” Mr Shah said.
Pakistan proposed regular, detailed reporting by the UN Secretariat on the implementation of Assembly resolutions, arguing that systematic monitoring would improve accountability and help translate decisions into action.
The proposal addresses a longstanding weakness in the international system: Although the UN adopts resolutions on conflicts and disputes, many remain unimplemented for years, with little systematic assessment of progress.
Pakistan also called for more frequent and substantive reports from the Security Council to the Assembly, seeking a more transparent relationship between the two principal UN bodies.
Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Its five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — can each veto substantive resolutions, preventing the Council from taking collective action even when most members support it.
Such divisions have repeatedly complicated international responses to conflicts, prompting calls for a greater role for the General Assembly, which brings together all 193 UN member states.
Pakistan’s proposal seeks to strengthen the Assembly’s effectiveness within its Charter authority, rather than replace the Security Council.
The conflicts in Gaza, alongside those involving the United States and Iran, underscore the difficulty of securing timely international responses when major powers are divided.
For Pakistan, the implementation of UN resolutions has particular significance for Palestinian self-determination and the unresolved Kashmir dispute, which Islamabad maintains must be settled in accordance with UN resolutions.
The proposed monitoring mechanism would allow member states to assess systematically whether resolutions were being implemented and where progress had stalled.
Mr Shah said revitalising the General Assembly should be a political endeavour aimed at restoring balance, equity and democratic participation in the UN, rather than merely changing its procedures.
Pakistan supported rationalising the Assembly’s agenda, streamlining resolutions and focusing on practical outcomes. The delegate also emphasised the assembly’s role in peaceful dispute settlement, including mediation.
The broader objective, Mr Shah indicated, is to restore confidence in multilateral institutions by ensuring their decisions carry greater practical weight and member states are held accountable.
