Muscat Daily

India calls for inclusive framework, action on UN Security Council reform

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New York, US - India on Tuesday called for decisive action on Security Council reform, championin­g an inclusive framework that truly represents the dynamic global landscape of today.

During the 6th round of the intergover­nmental negotiatio­ns on Security Council reform on Tuesday, the permanent representa­tive of India to the United Nations in New York, Ruchira Kamboj said: “India is in favour of expansion of UN Security Council membership in both the permanent and non permanent categories, as we believe that this is the only way to achieve genuine reform of the Security Council and make it legitimate, representa­tive, responsive and effective.”

She said that India needs a council that caters to the geographic­al and developmen­tal diversity of the United Nations today.

“In a nutshell, we need a reformed Security Council that better reflects the geographic­al and developmen­tal diversity of the United Nations today. A security council where the voices of developing countries and unrepresen­ted regions, including Africa, Latin America and the

vast majority of Asia and the Pacific, also find their due place at the horseshoe table. And for this, an expansion of the council in both categories of membership is absolutely essential,” she said.

Kamboj underlined that India’s position is widely sup

ported by the majority of the member states, adding that ‘this fact is on record in the 2015 framework document on the issue of categories of membership’. “A total of 113 member states out of 122 who submitted their positions in the framework document supported

expansion in both of the existing categories specified in the charter. This means that more than 90 per cent of the written submission­s in the document were in favour of expansion in both categories of membership specified in the charter,” Kamboj emphasised.

“On the contrary, longer term non-permanent seats, which was an idea mooted during the inception of the United nations to only be discarded due to its ineffectiv­eness, cannot be treated as a convergenc­e as it is only backed by a handful of member states. This informatio­n is readily available in the framework document of 2015 and needs absolutely to be reflected clearly in the next updated iteration of the elements paper, she added.

Highlighti­ng how it has become a common notion in the council that expansion in the permanent category would be undemocrat­ic, she said: “We fail to understand how something that is clearly being called for by the majority of the membership would be undemocrat­ic. We cannot continue to be hostage to a minority in the intergover­nmental negotiatio­ns.

“Further, we all acknowledg­e the fact that the present structure of the Security Council is not reflective of contempora­ry realities and that there is an urgent need to reform it. Expanding only in the non-permanent category will not solve the problem. I stress this.”

“In the present scenario, we are not discussing whether a specific member state should occupy or would occupy the new permanent seats in an expanded, rather we are discussing a possible framework for the creation of new permanent seats.”

India has long sought a per

We need a reformed Security Council that better reflects the geographic­al and developmen­tal diversity of the United Nations

RUCHIRA KAMBOJ

manent seat on the Security Council to better represent the interests of the developing world.

The nation’s quest has gained momentum with support from influentia­l figures like Dennis Francis, who believes in India’s capability to contribute positively to global peace and security.

India is a member of the G4, a group of nations that back each other to seek permanent membership in the UNSC. The countries advocate for reform in the UNSC.

 ?? ?? Ruchira Kamboj, the permanent representa­tive of India to the United Nations
Ruchira Kamboj, the permanent representa­tive of India to the United Nations

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