Malaysia is an exemplary UN member - Ban Ki-Moon
KUALA LUMPUR (March 22, 2012): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has described Malaysia as an exemplary and important member of the UN and that its offer to be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2015-16 term would be considered by member states when deciding on the candidacy.
"It is the member states that will decide," he said, adding that Malaysia had contributed significantly to the UN over the last five decades.
Ban hoped that other member states would appreciate its contribution in maintaining peace and security not only in the South East Asia but in other parts of the world as well.
Malaysia had sent 20,000 peacekeeping forces and 1,000 police officers in 25 UN peacekeeping missions around the world since 1960.
Ban said Malaysia had also met most of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which included eradicating extreme poverty and increasing literacy rates, set for completion by 2015 and had been actively promoting human rights.
"I hope all these good practices will be appreciated by member states," he told Bernama in an interview at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at the end of his two-day visit here.
Ban, who was wearing a 1Malaysia pin on his lapel, was all smiles when asked about it, and said,"Ah, this is Satu, Satu Malaysia!(1Malaysia)."
To be approved as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, a candidate country must receive at least two thirds of all votes cast for a seat.
The Security Council, one of the principal organs of the UN charged with the maintenance of international peace and security, has five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and 10 non-permanent members on two-year terms.
The non-permanent members are chosen by regional groups and countries currently representing Asia are India and Pakistan.
Ban said Malaysia had been a very important regional player and was now expanding its role globally.
In terms of vision, he said Malaysia was one of the founding members of ASEAN and had demonstrated "very important leadership" in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
Ban also hailed the efforts of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in his Global Movement of Moderates (GMM), which sought to create a better world for future generations through enduring and peaceful co-existence, and invited him to work closer with the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC).
UNAOC is an initiative which seeks to galvanise international action against extremism through the forging of international, intercultural and interreligious dialogue and cooperation.
Ban said there was much complementarity in both GMM and UNAOC and that Malaysia, with its multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural background, would have a lot to share with other countries.
Referring to his visit to the Malaysian Peacekeeping Training Centre in Port Dickson, he said he was impressed with its establishment and hoped that it could strengthen its capacity and standards.
He said it was also important for it to equip UN peacekeepers with knowledge on international laws, including international humanitarian laws, to enhance their peacekeeping and humanitarian roles in helping civilians in conflict areas. -- Bernama
