India’s Permanent Representative to UN pushes for more members in Security Council

Syed Akbaruddin: an inclusive UNSC is the need of the hour.

The Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin has said the world body is “at a cross road” and “reform is the only way to maintain” its “relevance.”

 Speaking at an Informal meeting of the General Assembly on the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on the question of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council, he said on Monday that “It is time to follow normal procedures and multilateral practices” and “breathe new life into the process of Security Council reform.”

Akbaruddin said, “It is unnatural and abnormal that even as the fundamental asymmetry between today’s global reality and the primary global governance mechanism relating to peace and security grows, we have confined ourselves to monologues rather than dialogue. The result of our inability to progress is that while the prime example of anachronism – the Security Council – may meet more and more, its actions now matter less and less. It also represents fewer and fewer of those who it is supposed to act on behalf of – ‘we the people’. Hence the Security Council’s effectiveness and efficacy is questionable and its credibility and legitimacy are at a low.

 “It is, therefore, not normal and not natural that, we, as responsible representatives of states continue to cocoon ourselves from the enormity of the changes underway and articulate views endlessly with no framework for setting our house in order. It is not natural that we ignore the interconnectivity of all that we do here in this organization and the repercussions of running such a system with a fundamental legitimacy deficit.”

 The ambassador continued: “It is now time to be interactive, negotiate, discuss, resolve issues and move forward on this very crucial and important issue. The formation of the Group of Friends demonstrates that many, many of us are willing to reach out and engage. We therefore urge you, as co-chairs, to lead this process into the phase of full-fledged negotiations, after all you are tasked for this purpose.”