Setback to India bid for UNSC reforms

India’s push to achieve urgent reforms of the UN Security Council this year and secure a permanent seat has suffered a setback when the General Assembly decided to roll over discussions on reforming the world body’s top organ to its next session.

India, along with the G4 nations, said it is “unfortunate” that momentum could not build up over the issue in the current session.

Brazil’s envoy to the UN, Mr Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, speaking on behalf of the G4 groups of Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan, lamented that the UN had not been able to push forward and achieve success in implementing the long-pending reform of the 15-nation council.

“There was huge expectation that time had arrived for us to move into concrete negotiations, It is unfortunate that the 70th anniversary of the United Nations was not able to build up momentum with a view to reaching an agreement on this important item,” Mr Patriota said.

India has been pushing for completing reforms of the UN Security Council in the 70th session of the UNGA, which will end in September this year. Taking consensus action Wednesday, the General Assembly adopted an oral decision paving the way for member states to continue discussions on reforming the Security Council during its 71st session, which will commence in September.

In giving effect to that “technical rollover”, the Assembly reaffirmed its central role on the issue of the United Nations Security Council reforms, known formally as “the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council”.

Speaking for the G4, the Brazilian envoy described Security Council reform as one of the most pressing issues still pending on the UN General Assembly’s agenda.

It was crucial that Member States engage in real, text-based negotiations if the process was to have any meaning, he said.

He added that it was obvious that a growing majority of member states supported the Council’s expansion in both membership categories, but that had not been registered in writing.