New Delhi, May 20: India has raised concerns about the record-keeping methods in the ongoing discussions regarding the reform of the United Nations Security Council. The country argues that the documents from previous meetings do not accurately reflect support for both permanent and non-permanent membership expansion.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, P. Harish, stated that most member nations favor increasing both types of membership in the Security Council. However, labeling it as merely “significant support” does not accurately represent the majority’s opinion.
Harish spoke on behalf of the G4 group during the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reforms. The G4 consists of India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan, all of which advocate for reforms and seek permanent membership.
“The G4 wants the elements paper for this session to accurately and fairly reflect the opinions and sentiments of member states,” Harish said.
He noted that no official draft text has been prepared for discussions so far, as a small group of countries has opposed it. Consequently, the ‘elements paper’ has become the only means to advance discussions, referencing support for various reform proposals.
In the previous session, a joint demand from African nations was discussed, which called for an increase in both permanent and non-permanent seats. This proposal received substantial backing from numerous countries.
A small group known as “Uniting for Consensus” (UFC) opposes the expansion of permanent membership. This group has been using procedural rules to block the advancement of an official draft for negotiations. Italy leads this group, which includes Pakistan as a vocal supporter. Harish emphasized that the G4 has already made it clear that discussions should begin with a unified model.
He stated that such a model should be developed with complete fairness, incorporating the views of various countries and groups.
The UFC contends that no draft text can be prepared until full consensus is achieved. In response, Harish argued that a unified model is merely the start of discussions, not the end. It should not be limited to consensus or the least common denominator.
He further explained that proposals and new suggestions that bridge gaps between different groups and nations can only emerge from text-based negotiations.
Harish warned that if text-based discussions do not commence soon, there will be no real progress in the IGN process. He reiterated that as a pro-reform group, the G4 insists that text-based negotiations should begin without further delay.
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Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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