Contemporary reality demands new inclusions in UNSC: India

"Contemporary reality demands new inclusions in the permanent membership," Indian Ambassador to the United Nations, Hardeep Puri, said.

He stated this in his intervention during the informal plenary exchange of the fourth round of negotiations on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Related Matters.

"Working methods also need improvement, and it would be unrealistic to hope to achieve this without an expansion in the permanent membership," Puri said at the UN headquarters.

Arguing that it is essential that UN members now build on the widespread demand for expansion in both permanent and non-permanent memberships, Puri articulated that genuine reform in the world body cannot be achieved without an expansion in both categories.

"The current structure of the UNSC continues to reflect 1945 and is no longer tenable. The Charter itself envisaged a review after 10 years. But it took 20 years for a minimum movement, when in 1965 a limited expansion in the non-permanent category was implemented," he said. "It has since been 44 years with no further movement, even though the world has changed significantly," Puri said.

The Indian Ambassador cautioned the world body that any expansion that is limited to adding more non-permanent members, either directly, or indirectly through convoluted proposals, will merely perpetuate the current problems that are clamouring for reform.

Puri noted that now it is only a handful of countries that are opposing reforms of Security Council. "We hope the handful that do not share our perspective will truly reflect on their position and acknowledge that the interest of the membership at large, and that of the organisation itself, is best served by supporting the views that the vast majority espouse," he said on Tuesday.

"We remain convinced that this is where convergence of ideas can and will happen," he said, urging the Chairman to provide a text or a document on which actual negotiations can proceed.

"The time for making statements reiterating our positions is now past. Instead, decisive progress needs to be made through detailed and textual negotiations," he said.
As only a handful of countries are now opposing it, the Indian Ambassador said such countries are attempting to disguise their real desire of ensuring no progress.
"They are worried that any text will serve to make genuine movement in the reform process," he said. "We must not let such views of a small minority block our path," he added.

"We are at the cusp of history and our actions will determine the evolution of international governance structures. We must bring about real change in the UNSC, both in its composition and in its working methods," Puri said.