In a recent meeting of the foreign ministers of G-4 Nations (India, Japan, Germany and Brazil) in New York during PM Modi’s visit to the United States from 21-23 September, the issue of reforms in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was raised once again. In fact, S Jaishankar called the UNSC a prisoner of the past. A lot of member nations also called for reforms in the UN during the ‘Summit of the Future’ deliberations, which was also addressed by PM Modi. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also criticised the divided UNSC for failure to end wars. US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron supported the permanent membership of India to the UNSC.
In Modi 3.0 government, India has stepped up the issue of reforms in the United Nations in general and the UNSC in particular. But our concerted efforts have not reached a stage where it could be predicted that India formally becomes a permanent member of the UNSC. The support of other permanent members of the UNSC barring China has not really given a clear direction to the path and timelines of the much-anticipated reforms.
After the surrender of Japan on 2 September 1945, the Second World War officially ended. The six-year war which began on 3 September 1939 left behind a trail of death and destruction in most parts of the world. United Nations came into existence on 24 October 1945 primarily with the aim of preventing future wars/conflicts and maintaining international peace & security besides a host of other charter. UNSC is the most important organ of the UN and has five permanent members (P5) which are United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Russian Federation (in place of erstwhile USSR) and China. It also has 10 non- permanent members which are elected in rotation for a two-year term. The UNSC is also responsible for approving any changes to the UN Charter.
One look at the UNSC reveals that the permanent members were essentially the victors in the World War II. Thus, the expression of prisoner of the past is apt for this body. The five permanent members of the Security Council have the exclusive veto powers and no resolution can be passed with their concurrence. So even if one permanent member vetoes a resolution, nothing can move ahead and the world opinion can wait. There has been a lot of talk about reforms in the UN but the permanent members are not much interested, except for making generic statements. After all, such reforms would take away their complete hold on the body. Thus, any reform in the UNSC lies at the mercy of the permanent members as of now.
India and China were one of the early signatories of the UN Charter, well before gaining formal independence. While China became a permanent member of the Security Council, there is some controversy about India squandering away the opportunity to become a permanent member in the 1950s. By this time, the world was divided between the West block led by the US and the East block led by the USSR. As a young nation, India was struggling with building the nation on a democratic plank and possibly wanted to occupy a moral high ground. The dilemma possibly helped the China’s cause to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council instead of India. Once the powerplay in the international arena was well established, India lost out to China and as a nation now perforce has to stake its claim afresh.
As world’s largest democracy, the absence of India from the high table of UNSC is not at all justified. India has been one of the most active members of the UN and has contributed significantly in all the spheres. India has been the largest contributor in the UN Peace Keeping Force in every strife torn region and has brought normalcy in the affected countries. India has also been at the forefront of humanitarian aid, medical relief and disaster management. India made most significant contribution through its astute COVID vaccine diplomacy. India has emerged as the natural leader of the developing nations, particularly the Global South in voicing concerns about environment, green energy, conservation and developmental goals.
All these may not be sufficient for India’s case. Now that we are the fifth largest economy in the world with the aim of becoming the top three economy by 2030, our best chance is possible around that time. As a country, we will have to be smart to leverage our economy to further the aspiration of joining the P5. The reforms in the UN are inevitable as this world body has proved to be ineffective in resolving the international conflict. Russia – Ukraine war and Israel- Hamas conflict are clear examples of the UNSC failure. With Iran intervention against Israel making the security scenario even more bleak, the current security council appears to be toothless to deal with the looming crisis in the Middle East. India has to raise the voice for a more effective security council.
China is going to block all our efforts to be a permanent member. Obviously, India alone is not the sole claimant to be the permanent member. The changed international dynamics make Japan, Germany, Brazil and one country from Africa equal contenders for the spot. The UN Security Council is outdated and needs a clear revamp, representing the aspirations of the continents and the emerging global order. Therefore, our efforts should concentrate in isolating China diplomatically from the rest of the world. The first immediate reform in the UNSC could be to modify the absolute veto power with each permanent member. Instead, it could be modified for minimum three members out of five required to veto a resolution. This way, at least the UNSC will gain some traction, till full-fledged reforms materialise.
The recent G-20 presidency of India was a good step towards aggressive diplomacy wherein India managed to get the African Union to be part of G-20. In today’s world, an autocracy like China has no business to call the shots at the UN Security Council. With deft handling and delicate diplomacy as demonstrated in our relations with Russia, India has already shown that it remains strong in protecting the national interest in the emerging power dynamics. India has also stood with old friend Israel in the current crisis in a mature manner.
India has to exhibit collective national will to stake its claim as the rightful permanent member of the security council. India is already a member/associate member of many groupings loke SAARC, ASEAN, BRICS, SCO and Quad (Australia, India, Japan and US) to name a few. Thus, our global standing as a serious and sincere nation in an ideal multipolar world should be lauded. India should aggressively lobby for a special session of the UN General Assembly in the year 2025 to formally go ahead with the reforms. Our aim should be to crystallise the contours of the reforms in the UN as also achieve a broad consensus on the new permanent members to make the UNSC more inclusive and relevant. Indian PM Modi’s influence as a global leader and the collective might of India in the comity of nations should clinch a permanent membership of the UNSC well before 2029.
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