Unsc

Those who target schools, children must be held accountable: India in UNSC

India has called for bringing to account those who target schools and children with impunity, underscoring that protection of children without accountability is incomplete. "Education is a right that should endure in times of conflict. It is a right whose fulfilment is among the most powerful contributions to lasting peace. India remains unwavering in its commitment to protecting children in armed conflict and to upholding their right to learn, to grow, and to realise their full potential," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni said. He was addressing the UN Security Council open debate on "Strengthening the Prevention of and Protection of Education for Children Affected by Armed Conflict: From Normative Commitments to Effective Implementation" here Wednesday. Parvathaneni stressed that "protection without accountability is incomplete. Those who target schools and children with impunity must be held to account." The UN Secretary General's latest

J&K is strictly internal matter: India slams Pak for 'unwarranted' remarks

India slammed Pakistan for making "unwarranted" remarks on Jammu and Kashmir at an informal UN Security Council meeting organised by Beijing and Islamabad, asserting that the union territory is a matter "strictly internal" to the country. India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, made the remarks on Tuesday at an Arria-formula meeting of the Security Council on 'Bridging the Implementation Gap: Security Council Resolutions and the Maintenance of International Peace and Security'. "I also refer to the unwarranted remarks made by the representative of Pakistan. It is incredible that a co-chair expected to be balanced and unbiased in conduct has chosen to politicise this forum," Harish said. "I would only like to stress, for brevity of time, that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is a matter strictly internal to India. It has always been, is, and will remain so," he said. Harish's remarks came after Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN

UNSC reform would be failure if only non-permanent category expanded: India

India has cautioned that reform of the UN Security Council will border on "failure" if only its non-permanent category of membership is expanded. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni made these remarks on Monday while addressing the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) meeting on Security Council reforms. "UNSC reform would be grossly inadequate, bordering on failure, if expansion is limited only to the non-permanent category as it would fundamentally not change the decision making power-structure of the P5," Parvathaneni said. "Groups and member states have waited this long for real and meaningful reforms," he further added. Parvathaneni was addressing the meeting, with focus on the 'Elements Paper', a document that contains points of convergences and divergences of UN member states on reform of the powerful UN body. Parvathaneni stressed that by advocating expansion of the permanent category, India's consistent effort has been to bring in a

Slovakia backs India's bid for permanent seat in UN Security Council

Slovakia backed India's bid for permanent membership in a "reformed" UN Security Council as the two countries elevated their ties to a Comprehensive Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landmark visit to the Central European nation. In a joint statement issued after talks between Prime Minister Modi and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico on Monday, the two sides underlined the need for comprehensive reforms of multilateral institutions, including the United Nations and the UNSC, to make them "more representative, inclusive and reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities". The two leaders stressed the urgent need to expand the Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories. "In this context, India appreciated Slovakia's continued support for India's permanent membership in a reformed and expanded United Nations Security Council," the joint statement said. Modi and Fico reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism with the United Nations at its c

UNSC calls on Afghanistan's Taliban rulers to reverse crackdown on women

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday calling on Afghanistan's Taliban rulers to swiftly reverse their crackdown on women and to combat militant groups inside Afghanistan that Pakistan accuses of carrying out cross-border attacks. China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong, whose country sponsored the resolution, said the hope is that the Afghan government will "take more proactive measures to protect human rights, especially the rights of women, and project an image of openness, inclusivity and responsibility". The resolution extends the UN political mission in Afghanistan until June 17, 2027, and authorises it to support humanitarian aid deliveries "without discrimination" and to promote national and local governance "without any discrimination based on sex, religion or ethnicity, with the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women,... minorities, youth and persons with disabilities". The resolution's adoption follows the arrest of at least 30 women in th

'Firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping': India tells UNSC

India voiced its firm opposition to attacks on merchant shipping amid the ongoing Iran conflict, as it told the UN Security Council that several of its nationals have died or are missing due to attacks in the region. "We expressed our deep concern at the conflict in Iran and the Gulf region that unfortunately began in the holy month of Ramadan and urged all sides to exercise restraint, avoid escalation and prioritise the safety of civilians," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni said Wednesday. Addressing the UN Security Council open debate on 'Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Advancing Political Solutions in the Middle East: Mediation and Dialogue for Lasting Peace', Parvathaneni said India is firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping, as many of its nationals are prominent in its global workforce. "Many Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of attacks against countries of the region and against .

India urges UN to review sanctions on Afghanistan amid changed realities

Several leaders of the Taliban, which took control of Kabul in August 2021, are listed under the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council

'Misinformation': India slams Pak's 'Fitna al Hindustan' narrative at UN

India on Monday hit out at Pakistan at the UN, slamming Islamabad's decision to refer to groups inside its own borders as 'Fitna al-Hindustan' as nothing but "officially sponsored misinformation and disinformation dressed in religious terminology." India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni delivered a strong statement against Pakistan here during a UN Security Council meeting on the 'Situation in Afghanistan'. Hitting out strongly,Parvathaneni said that Pakistan coming up with official notifications, directing its government agencies to start referring to groups inside its own borders as 'Fitna al Hindustan', "is nothing but officially sponsored misinformation and disinformation dressed in religious terminology". Last year, the government of Pakistan officially designated all terrorist groups and organisations operating in Balochistan province 'Fitna al Hindustan', alleging, without giving any proof, that the outfits indulged in terrorism at India's .

Austria, Portugal among 5 nations elected to UNSC; Germany suffers setback

Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe were elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the 2027-28, with India saying it looks forward to working closely with them during their two-year tenure. In a closely watched and contested election on Wednesday, the 193-member UN General Assembly elected the five new non-permanent members who will replace Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia when their terms conclude at the end of 2026. India congratulated the newly elected members. "Hearty congratulations to the newly elected @UN Security Council members," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni said in a post on X. "We look forward to working closely with each of you during your 2027-28 term and wish you all success," he added. The five new non-permanent UNSC members were elected by secret ballot for the two-year term beginning January 1, 2027, and ending December 31, 2028. In a major setback for ..

Pak will have to face consequences for cross-border terrorism: India at UN

Pakistan will have to accept that there are "consequences" to its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism, India told a UN meeting, underscoring that it has "every right" to defend itself from such terror attacks perpetrated by its neighbour. "I am compelled to respond to baseless and unwarranted remarks made by Pakistan today. India would like to set the facts straight," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni said at a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday. "Independent India began its life battling with cross-border aggression by Pakistan, which coveted Indian territories that had become a part of India as a result of their complete, legal and irrevocable accession," Parvathaneni said. Parvathaneni's strong response against Pakistan came during the Security Council debate on 'Upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centred international system', chaired by China, under its presidency of the 15-nation UN bod

G4 seeks equal responsibilities, duties for new UNSC permanent members

Offering a "realistic" way forward on UN Security Council reforms, the G4 nations of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan have proposed that new permanent members in an expanded Council would not exercise veto pending decision during a review period. "The world has waited far too long for real reform of the UNSC, and we witness the consequences thereof," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni said, as he delivered a statement on behalf of the G4 nations Tuesday on the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) meeting on Security Council reforms. He highlighted that the discussion is a good platform for a comprehensive stock-taking of the IGN process, including an objective assessment of progress achieved, if any, and charting a realistic way forward to implement meaningful reforms of the UN Security Council. Reiterating the G4's flexibility with regard to the Question of Veto, he said the grouping "emphasizes that there cannot be a sub-category within the

India seeks UNSC expansion, says lack of reform constraining global body

India on Friday strongly called for expansion of the UN Security Council with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar saying that the effectiveness and credibility of the global body will remain "constrained" without reforming it. Jaishankar made the remarks at a conclave of the foreign ministers of the BRICS nations in New Delhi. "We meet at a time when the effectiveness of global governance and the credibility of multilateralism are under increasing scrutiny," he said. "The world today is more interconnected, complex, and multipolar than when many of our current institutions were created. Yet, the structures that underpin global governance have not kept pace with these changes," he noted. Jaishankar listed four specific points to press for reforming the key international bodies and multilateral trading systems, and asserted that the reform of the United Nations and its subsidiary bodies remains "central". "The membership of the United Nations has expanded significantly, and its .

US proposes resolution to UNSC to defend free navigation, secure Hormuz

US State Secy Marco Rubio stated that the proposal comes at the direction of US President Donald Trump in conjunction with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar

Expanding permanent category with veto critical to UNSC reform: India

India has asserted that any reform of the United Nations Security Council not accompanied by expansion in the permanent category with veto would perpetuate existing imbalance and inequities in the UN organ. Addressing the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) meeting on Security Council reforms on Tuesday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish also noted that consideration of a new category, with or without veto, would "complicate" an already existing discussion that involves wide-ranging views. "There are two fundamental aspects that result in an imbalanced structure and lack of legitimacy and non-representativeness of the UN Security Council these are the membership; and veto. "There is broad agreement on the dire need to reform the UN Security Council. It is evident that a structure designed more than 80 years ago does not meet the requirements of the current geo-political realities," Harish said. The Indian envoy recalled that the sole refor

New UNSC draft on Hormuz eases off threats of force to avoid veto risks

Russia, which is allied with Iran and holds veto power on the Security Council, had expressed its disapproval over some of the earlier language of the previous draft resolution

UNSC set to vote on watered-down proposal to open Strait of Hormuz

The UN Security Council is scheduled to vote Friday on a proposal to secure the Strait of Hormuz after it was significantly watered down in the face of opposition from China and Russia about allowing force to reopen the critical waterway that Iran has largely cut off to global shipping. The final draft of Bahrain's resolution, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, authorises the use of defensive - but not offensive - action to ensure vessels can safely transit the strait. One-fifth of the world's oil typically passes through the waterway where Iran's stranglehold during the war has sent energy prices soaring. Bahrain's initial draft resolution would have allowed countries "to use all necessary means" - UN language that would include possible military action - "in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman" to secure passage and deter attempts to interfere with navigation. Russia, China and France, all veto-wielding countries of the 15-member Security Council, had ...

Beyond G2: Why middle powers must build a new order independently

The G2 benefit from their ability to craft rules to suit themselves. They cannot be trusted to reform anything

We need to recognise we have problem with Security Council: UN chief

In a sharp critique, UN chief Antonio Guterres said there is a need to recognise "we have a problem with the Security Council", which does not reflect the current world and is not allowed to stop conflicts because of the use of veto by its permanent members. "I think we need to recognise that we have a problem with the Security Council. The Security Council today no longer represents the world as the world exists. It represents the world after 1945," Guterres said at a press conference in Beirut on Saturday in response to a question. He pointed out that three permanent members of the 15-nation Council are from Europe, one from Asia, and one is the United States, while there are no permanent members from Africa or Latin America. Even from Asia, that "obviously is a continent with an enormous weight in global population and global wealth", there is just one permanent member - China. "And so, the Council has a problem of legitimacy and a problem of efficiency because of the vetoes. An

UN Security Council condemns Iran strikes on neighbouring Gulf countries

The Council voted in favour of a resolution that condemned the strikes carried out by Iran using missiles and attack drones against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan

Hypocritical, flagrant violation: India slams Pak's strikes on Afghanistan

At UNSC briefing, India says strikes violate international law and endanger Afghan civilians