KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, Brazil and South Africa have held discussions to draft a new approach and demand reforms in the United Nations (UN), says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the discussions took place on the sidelines of the recent G20 Summit, where he met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Anwar highlighted that the discussions focused on expanding veto powers to include representatives from Latin America and Africa.
“We held separate negotiations to strategise for representation from Latin America, Africa and Asia to bring forward a new approach.
“We oppose the current structure of the UN and demand reforms, including expanding veto power beyond the existing permanent members to include representatives like Brazil for Latin America and South Africa for Africa,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Nov 21).
During the G20 Summit, Anwar said Malaysia voiced concerns about the UN’s failure to address violations of its own resolutions, specifically citing Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“We discussed the UN’s original mandate to recognise independent nations and fight against colonialism.
“However, this organisation, which opposes colonisation, continues to recognise Israel, a country that persistently occupies Gaza,” Anwar added.
On addressing the recent Islamic-Arab Summit in Riyadh, Anwar said it marked the first time Arab and Islamic nations firmly acknowledged the genocide perpetrated by Israel against Palestinians.
“Previously, they avoided acknowledging genocide in UN resolutions.
“Now, they have also resolved to sever diplomatic relations and impose embargoes on trade and military support provided by Western nations,” he said.
Anwar was responding to Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari (PH-Sungai Petani), who asked about key issues raised at the 2024 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Peru, the G20 Summit in Brazil, and their benefits to Malaysia, as well as the outcomes of the Riyadh Islamic-Arab Summit
