Need to reform UNSC

The US backs India’s demand

New York (USA) – Questions are constantly being raised regarding the functioning of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Owing to this, India is constantly demanding that there is a need to reform the Security Council. The US has supported India’s demand. The US has said that the 70-year-old Security Council does not reflect today’s concerns.

We want the reform !

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield indicated in a speech in Tokyo that only Russia and China are opposing the expansion of the powerful 15-member UN body in the Security Council. Previously the United States, China and Russia agreed on one thing, and that was that we did not want to see changes in the Security Council. But in 2021, the US pulled out of that, and we’ve made clear that we must see reform in the Security Council and broadly in the UN. The Security Council of 70 years ago does not reflect the realities of today, where we have 193 (Member States), where Africa does not have a permanent seat, Latin America does not have a permanent seat, and other countries around the world and other regions are not represented in a significant way in the Council. So one, we have made clear in our discussions with some of the members of the so-called G4 – Japan, Germany, and India (and Brazil) – that we support their becoming permanent members of the Security Council. The US President reiterated this in his speech last year. The US envoy further asserted that there is no agreement among the 193 members of the UN General Assembly on how the expansion might work, but there is agreement that change is required. She further said, ‘But it is something that we are committed to, and we’re working to bring it to fruition’.

India’s demand

India has been calling for reforms in the United Nations for years. India contends that it deserves a rightful place as a permanent member of the organisation.

India’s reforms in the United Nations Security Council

Currently, there are 5 permanent members of the UNSC. It consists of China, France, Russia, Britain and the US. All permanent members have an independent right to veto any substantive resolution. Last month, India presented a detailed model of reforms to the Security Council. It proposes to expand the membership of the Security Council from the current 15 to 25 by adding 6 permanent and 4 or 5 non-permanent members.