In a press conference, the United States Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on April 18, 2024, said they have extended support for reforms to the United Nations institution which included the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Commenting on Tesla CEO Elon Musk statement regarding India not having a permanent seat at the UNSC, the Vedant Patel said “The President has spoken about this before his remarks to the UN General Assembly and the Secretary has also alluded to this as well.
We certainly support reforms to the UN institution, including the Security Council to make it reflective of 21st century of the world we live in. I don’t have any specifics to offer on what those steps are, but certainly we recognise that there is a need for reform but I will leave it at that for now.”
Tesla owner Elon Musk in January said that no permanent seat of India at the UNSC is absurd. He added that the nations which have excessive power don’t seem to relinquish it. In a post on X, Musk said, “At some point, there needs to be a revision of the UN bodies Problem is that those nations who have excess power don’t want to give it up.
India not having a permanent seat at the United Nations, despite being the most populous country in the world is absurd. Africa collectively should also be having a permanent seat at the United Nations.” For a long time, India has been demanding a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council for better representing the developing world’s interests.
There has been increasing support from the international community in India’s quest for a permanent seat at the UNSC. There are 15 member states in the UNSC, which includes five permanent members with veto power and ten non-permanent members which get elected every two years. The five permanent members are the US, Russia, France, UK and China.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) non-permanent members are elected by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). India’s ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in its manifesto titled Sankalp Patra promised to pursue the country’s permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
The BJP in its manifesto, which was released on April 14, 2024, said, “We are committed to seeking permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to elevate Bharat’s position in global decision making at the international fora.”
