The United Kingdom has reaffirmed its support for the creation of new permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for India, Germany, Japan and Brazil and also called for the expansion of the council in both permanent and non-permanent categories.
On Thursday, at the UN Security Council’s annual discussion on Security Council reform, UK Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward remarked that the UK also supports an extension of the non-permanent category of membership, bringing the Security Council’s overall membership to somewhere in the mid-20s.
UK backs India’s case for permanent UN Security Council seat
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She said, “Our position is well known. The United Kingdom has long called for the expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories.” “We support the creation of new permanent seats for India, Germany, Japan and Brazil, as well as permanent African representation on the Council,” she further added.
The General Assembly began its annual discussion with speakers reaffirming their calls for the 15-member institution to be expanded and its working processes updated to make it more transparent, inclusive, representative, responsible, and effective in a world plagued by a series of interconnected challenges.
Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, spoke on behalf of the G4 countries, which included Brazil, Germany, and Japan. She expressed her disappointment at the absence of real progress following four decades of equitable representation. She stated that representation is an unavoidable requirement for legitimacy and efficacy and that the longer Council reform is delayed, the greater the Council’s lack of inclusion.
“The longer the Security Council reform is stalled, the greater its deficit in representation. And representation is an inescapable precondition for its legitimacy and effectiveness,” she stated.
The Permanent Representative of India emphasised that the Security Council must now fulfil its Charter-mandated duty to uphold the integrity of all of its members. According to Ambassador Kamboj, the G4 has consistently called for a single, unified text as well as new working processes, such as webcasting, record-keeping, and the application of the General Assembly’s rules of procedure, to ensure a free, open, and transparent process.
The G4 nations support the need for robust Security Council reform, including the expansion of seats in both categories of membership, fair and equal regional representation, more open and inclusive working procedures, and better relations with other UN bodies, including the General Assembly, according to India’s senior diplomat in affirming the G4’s position.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar reiterates India’s demand to expand UNSC
Recently, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar underlined India’s stance and said that reforms are a hard nut to crack, but hard nuts can be cracked. EAM Jaishankar was speaking in an interview at the Lowy Institute in Australia.
With 15 members, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the UN’s six main bodies. The other 10 members alternate every two years, with China, Russia, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom serving as permanent members. The non-permanent status of India in the United Nations Security Council began in 2020 and will terminate in the current year’s December.
The additional permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council will result from the proposed changes. However, there hasn’t been much advancement in terms of development because of the enormous authority held by the permanent members, who may veto reform initiatives.
“When I look back and think, well, this one is too difficult, I won’t be doing too much in my life. Life has been a set of challenges particularly for a country like India. I would not let the difficulties of the challenge discourage me. I’d put it the other way around,” Jaishankar said.
The United States Security Council has not successfully helped some countries deal with their problems, the foreign minister added. He said that the UN’s reputation is being harmed since certain African and Latin American nations feel that the organisation does nothing for them.
To note, on September 24, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a push for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform after recognizing the weaknesses of the current multilateral institutions in dealing with global challenges. He also had hosted a meeting of two separate groupings, G-4 and L-69 in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and had discussed how global challenges have brought to the forefront the ‘urgency of reforming the United Nations and updating its main decision-making bodies.’
India and Brazil are the front-runners for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Germany and Japan are reportedly also competing for a permanent seat. Jaishankar believes that India enjoys the backing of several nations due to its commitment to the greater benefit of humanity.
