File Photo: UN Security Council
Advocating an urgent UN Security Council reform, India has said it agrees with the assessment that it is "presumptuous" of the five permanent members to claim responsibility for global security when they represent only 1.9 billion of the world's seven billion population.
Prakash Gupta, the Counsellor at the Indian mission in United Nations, expressed hope that "meaningful progress" in implementing reforms of the Security Council will take place as the international community marks the 70th Anniversary of the UN.
Speaking at the high-level General Assembly debate on 'Strengthening Cooperation between the UN and Regional and sub-regional organisations', Mr Gupta had said on Monday that India agrees with keynote remarks made by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni that there is "structural deficiency" in the architecture for global security in the absence of UNSC reforms.
Mr Museveni said that it is "presumptuous" of the five permanent members of the UNSC to claim responsibility for global security when they represents only 1.9 billion of the 7 billion population.
Mr Gupta said India agrees with Mr Museveni "completely" when he says "this is structural deficiency in the architecture for global security."
India also agrees with the assessment that reform of the UNSC is imperative and is "what we should begin with."
Mr Gupta added that while two-thirds of the work of the Security Council relates to Africa, the continent is not represented by any permanent member in the Council.
"Its (UNSC's) legitimacy, and also its efficiency, in doing so is however seriously undermined by the fact that the continent finds no representation at all in its permanent membership. A meaningful and effective relationship between the Council and regional organisations is possible only if this historical injustice is addressed and its architecture is reflective of contemporary realities and not the mindset of the post Second World War of the 1940s," he said.
Mr Gupta said India shares Mr Museveni's observation that in order to strengthen cooperation with regional organisations, there is need to first examine the structures of the UN.
"Mr Museveni pointed out that the most fundamental structures, such as the permanent membership of the UNSC remain unchanged," Mr Gupta said, adding that "while taking stock of the organisation, it is important to consider its relationships with other regional and sub-regional groups."
"The partnership has proven itself to be important. But, for the partnership to survive, and for it to be further strengthened, it needs to be one based on respect for regional processes, complementarity and a division of labour based on comparative advantage," Mr Gupta added.