French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday called for expansion of the U.N. Security Council so that under-represented regions could have a voice on the body charged with maintaining international peace and security. “We know what we need to do now: increase the number of permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council. It is unacceptable that Africa does not have a permanent member of the Security Council, or to exclude South America, with such a great power as Brazil, or India with its population, or Japan or Germany,” Sarkozy said in his address to the 64th U.N. General Assembly. The French President also called for reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, saying voting rights should be more equitably distributed. Sarkozy said that there should be a World Environment Organization, too, “in place of today's dozens of committees, secretariats, and institutions if we want our future decisions to be fully implemented.” Sarkozy concluded his speech on a somber note, saying “the threats of the worst crises are not behind us, but ahead of us.”
