Make UN vibrant with India’s permanent inclusion: Mahajan

United Nations, September 2

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has emphasised the need for urgent UN Security Council reform, saying it is time to make the powerful body “vibrant” with the inclusion of India as a permanent member.

She made the remarks during her meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon here on August 31 on the sidelines of the ongoing Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament. In the around 30-minute meeting, Majahan discussed critical issues of UNSC reforms, terrorism, peacekeeping and climate change with the UN Chief, sources said.

Ban commended the vibrancy of India’s democracy to which Mahajan responded that “now the time has come for a vibrant Security Council”, which includes India as a permanent member.

She told Ban that India was ready to accept this new responsibility and the world’s largest democracy and emerging economy would make the council more vibrant and representative.

She said the UNSC must be reformed and restructured to reflect current political realities and more developing nations should be included as permanent and non-permanent members.

Mahajan noted that the lack of reform had affected the credibility and effectiveness of the Security Council and said nations counted on Ban’s leadership for urgent reform of the UN.

She stressed that India strongly believed that democratic norms must percolate in the institutions of global governance, including the UN, and an early reform of the UN and expansion of the Security Council was an important priority for India.

With the world body commemorating its 70th anniversary this year, she said the milestone provided a historic opportunity, which must be grasped, for UN reforms.

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Pallath Joseph Kurien as well as other Indian officials were also present during the talks. — PTI