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United Nations : India has asserted that any reform of the UN Security Council that creates a new category of permanent members without veto powers would effectively relegate them to “second-class” status, leaving the existing five permanent powers in control of the decision-making process.
China, France, Russia, the UK and the US are the five permanent members of the 15-nation Security Council and enjoy veto powers. The Council also has 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, on Monday said the veto must be held by all permanent members of a reformed Council as long as the provision exists, stressing that fairness and justice demand equal rights and responsibilities for all permanent members.
Addressing the Inter-Governmental (IGN) plenary on ‘Cluster Debate on the Question of the Veto’ in the UN General Assembly, Parvathaneni said a reform that expands the Security Council by “creating another category of long-term members without the veto effectively makes them ‘second-class’ members and would not change the decision-making dynamic of the P5”.
India has consistently called for expanding both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, warning that reform efforts would border on “failure” if they focused solely on increasing the number of non-permanent members.
India has consistently underscored that it rightly deserves a permanent seat at the horseshoe table.
India is also seeking a non-permanent seat for the 2028-29 term. Elections for the term are scheduled for June next year, when India and Tajikistan will contest the sole seat allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group.
India last served on the Council in 2021-22, its eighth term, having previously held seats in 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92 and 2011-12. (Agencies)
