Need a Council where voices of developing nations find their place: India at UN

NEW YORK: Pitching for reforms at the United Nations Security Council, India has told the UN Security Council that there is a “need” for a council that better reflects the geographical and developmental diversity of the UN today.

India’s Permanent representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, on Tuesday, said, “What we therefore need is a Security Council that better reflects the geographical and developmental diversity of the United Nations today. A Security Council where voices of developing countries and unrepresented regions, including Africa, Latin America and the vast majority of Asia and Pacific, find their due place at this horseshoe table.”

Speaking at the UNSC Open Debate on Working Methods, Ambassador Kamboj attempted to summarise India’s main concerns on the need to improve the working methods of the Security Council. She stressed that the “working methods of the UNSC Sanctions Committees continue to dent the credibility of the UN Security Council”.

“For genuine, evidence-based listing proposals for globally sanctioned terrorists to be blocked without giving any due justification is uncalled for and smacks of doublespeak when it comes to Council’s commitment to tackling the challenge of terrorism. The working methods of Sanctions Committees must emphasize transparency, and objectivity in listing and delisting and should not be based on political considerations,” added Kamboj.

Earlier in August, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said keeping India out of the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council would only call the credibility of the international organisation into question.

Speaking at an event at Delhi University, Jaishankar said the UN was formed in 1940 during the Second World War and had only 50 member countries at the time. However, the number of members now has increased by 4 times with about 200 countries as members, he added. Ambassador Kamboj also said that the Council will “never be good enough” by merely “fixing the working methods”.

“To continue to deny member states of the Global South a voice and role in Council’s decision-making only lowers the Council’s credibility,” she said. In August, at the BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also emphasised undertaking reforms in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The BRICS joint statement also called for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms and affirmed support for the aspirations of emerging and developing countries like India, Brazil and South Africa. The statement emphasised the need for reforms in the UNSC to make it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries in the Council’s memberships.