India Flays Delay In Un Security Council Reform

It is no longer good to spin the debate indefinitely on the question of the United Nations Security Councils reform as delay hurts the organisation and it hurts the developing countries even more, says India.

The countrys Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Kamlesh Sharma, told the open-ended working group on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council that the task of reforming the Security Council is urgent.

We agree entirely that on a matter as important as this, where any decision we take on the question on the composition of the new permanent membership will last for some time, member states should have the time to reflect on their choice, said Sharma.

 

However, we must be prepared to reach a general agreement, building on the deliberations in the open-ended working group so far.

Sharma said that several times over the last few years, special sessions of the General Assembly had been called to discuss issues on the agenda of the Security Council. However, the General Assembly, he said, had shown itself to be less than involved in these issues.

He said these discussions of the general membership reflect a deep dissatisfaction and call for a more representative Security Council.

The alternative will be repeated challenges to and erosion of the Councils authority. This situation should not be allowed to drag on, he said.

Sharma made a strong case for the inclusion of developing countries on the council with all the attributes that presently go with permanent membership. Since a vast majority of the worlds problems lie in the developing world, he queried as to how the Council could act on the issues without taking into account and reflecting faithfully in its decisions, on equal terms, the views of those who are affected.

This is a crucial point, he said. The Councils decisions must reflect the views of the developing world, otherwise they will be perceived as those reflecting primarily the North, and this polarisation will damage the organisation.

Reform must make it (the council) more representative of the membership and a more effective instrument for it by bringing developing countries into the permanent membership, Sharma said.