India regrets status quo over UNSC expansion

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New Delhi, November 18

India has regretted the lack of activity in the intergovernmental negotiation process for the expansion of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and blamed the unwillingness of some delegations to engage in substantive discussions.

It’s time to act

Member states must not allow the process to cocoon itself in perpetuity. Ruchira Kamboj, India’s UN Representative

“Member states must not allow the process to cocoon itself in perpetuity without letting their collective aspirations take a definite shape,” said India’s permanent representative at the UN Ruchira Kamboj.

She was speaking on the opening day of the UN General Assembly’s annual debate on UNSC reform with speakers once again renewing their appeals for enlarging the 15-member organ and updating its working methods.

The session was marred by a clash between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.

Kamboj, speaking on behalf of the Group of Four (Brazil, Germany, Japan and India), said the representation was an inescapable precondition for legitimacy and effectiveness. The longer UNSC reform is stalled, the greater its deficiency in representation, she added.

Of the three permanent UNSC members that took the floor, only the UK mentioned representation for G4 besides the African continent. The US and China did not mention any country while putting forward their views.

As in years past, there were divergent views on how to achieve that goal. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) wanted a guaranteed presence for small islands. The L.69 group of developing countries wanted substantive text-based negotiations, with clearly attributed positions. The African Group pressed for five non-permanent and two permanent council seats for the continent.

The Arab Group sought a permanent Arab seat and proportionate Arab representation among non-permanent UNSC members. The Uniting for Consensus group, which includes Pakistan and Italy, wants nine “long-term” non-permanent elected seats, plus two additional non-permanent seats with two-year terms — one each for Eastern Europe and small-island developing states.

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