Date: 22/12/2022

Relevance: GS-2: Important International institutions, agencies, and fora their structure, mandate.

Key Phrases: UN Security Council, Principle Of Non-Alignment, Permanent Representative of India, G-20, OECD, miniatures, climate change, sustainable development goals, millennium development goals.

Why in News?

• Recently, Ruchira Kamboj, the Permanent Representative of India at the United Nations, said that other organisations like the G-20, OECD may step up to take a more prominent role in international affairs than the United Nations if the UN fails to introduce reforms in the UN Security Council.
• Ms. Kamboj said that the reformation of the United Nations is the “most complex process” of the UN system.
• However, the Government of India has accorded the highest priority to its stand on getting a permanent seat in the expanded UNSC, to get the international support needed, India has been actively raising this issue in all important bilateral and multilateral forums.

What are the hurdles in UN reforms?

• UN Reforms involve several complex aspects:
  • It involves the reform of the UN Charter.
  • It requires all the P-5 (permanent members of the UNSC) to be on board.
  • It requires that no P-5 should veto the matter.
• UN reforms include many vested interests:
  • There are many who aspire to be in a reformed council but there are many who would not like to see those in the council.
  • Therefore, the UN reforms process is indeed very complex and filled with many vested interests.
  • For instance, among the five permanent members of the UNSC, four countries, including the US, UK, France, and Russia have bilaterally extended their support for India’s candidature for the permanent seat in the expanded UNSC, but China has obstructed its inclusion.
  • To sideline India, China instead proposes the inclusion of small and medium-sized countries.

Why will the significance of other organisations increase?

• Phenomenon of “pessimism and cynicism” about the possibility of reform of the UN Security Council:
  • The item of reform has remained on the agenda of the UNSC for nearly three decades without any substantive progress.
  • The possibility of “minilaterals” playing a more active role in global affairs if the reform of the UNSC refuses to make any progress.
• Today, there are almost two hundred member states and the voices of many states are not heard by the UN. The voice of the voiceless, the smaller states, the countries from Africa - who hears them? Everything is being scripted for them in many ways.
• It may be that the UN will be overtaken by other institutions for example that are more democratic such as the G-20.

Why should India get a permanent seat in UNSC?

• Amongst all the aspirants who want to be a permanent member of the UNSC, India is the most obvious and least controversial one which has emerged as a major global power center.
• Its membership bid rests on the fact that it is one of the founder members of the UN, currently serves as a non-permanent member, is the largest democracy, is the second most populous country, and the fifth largest and fastest growing economy.
• Moreover, India has been actively engaging itself in all the forums concerning climate change, sustainable development goals, millennium development goals, and other UN Summits.
• India also represents the interests of most of the underdeveloped and developing countries of the world.
• Its adherence to the principle of non-alignment and Panchsheel — Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence—that focuses on non-interference by one country in the internal affairs of the other has substantially promoted peace and stability in the world.
• India intends to be a global rule-maker, and, therefore, wants to be a member of the expanded UNSC permanent category to have a greater say in the emerging international order.

Way Forward

• India did stand out in terms of assisting its partners and friends.
• India’s role in providing vaccines to the least developed countries and that India has not hesitated in expressing an opinion on difficult issues during the past two years.
• Therefore, expansion of the permanent and non-permanent bodies is long overdue and they must include countries such as India, considering its geographical size; enormous population; economic growth; democratic system; political stability; soft, military, and nuclear power; apart from its undisputed role in South Asian affairs.
• Moreover, India will gain the voice to represent the issues of the other underdeveloped South Asian nations in the global fora and will have a say in challenging its unilateral working style with the unquestioned authority of permanent members of the UNSC.
• Reforms are also necessary to make the UNSC more legitimate, effective, and representative in character and also to correct historical injustices in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question

Q. Reforms in the United Nations Security Council(UNSC) are the need of the century to make it more inclusive, legitimate and effective otherwise the United Nations will be overtaken by other organizations like G20, OECD. Examine. ( 15 marks).