New Delhi: Criticising the UN Security Council for being a “frozen 1945 invented mechanism” that is unable to voice the concerns of the wider UN membership, especially the global south, India has called for the world body to become more representative of the developing world and warned of it becoming more non-functional if the move is delayed.
Not mincing her words, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj stressed that the UNSC must evolve to match the “changing requirements of the modern world or risk being sidelined.”
In her address at the UNSC Exit briefing of former elected members of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Kamboj said:
“It is a no-brainer that the UNSC’s composition does not reflect the geopolitical realities of today.
“The world has changed but the Security Council is still stuck in the immediate aftermath of World War II. So when one talks about the Council not being effective or falling short of expectations one needs to recognise the fact that it can never be fully effective unless it changes to reflect the realities of the 21st century.
“In fact, I would even venture to say that the more this change gets delayed the more the danger that we may head towards a more non-functional Council.”
She also said that in the current international architecture the voice of the countries of the global south go unheard.
“Finally, it is also a fact that sadly the voice of the global south gets drowned in the existing international architecture. For instance, I can wager that many of you present here represent organisations that are headquartered in the north. And that very few of you, if at all, would be from organisations headquartered in the developing world.
“A natural consequence of this is that issues that are of consequence to the developing country take a backseat in the discussions. The world is getting increasingly volatile and uncertain for the south. Once again it is clear that a frozen 1945 invented mechanism is simply unable to articulate the wider concerns of the UN membership.
“Therefore, when one speaks of the effectiveness of the Council it is also important to analyse if the voice of the vast majority of the developing world countries is indeed fairly represented,” she stressed, articulating India’s push for expansion of the membership of the UN Security Council.
India’s Permanent Mission in the UN in a tweet said:
“The United Nations Security Council must evolve to match the changing requirements of our modern world or risk being sidelined”
“Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj at the #UNSCExit briefing of former elected members of the UN Security Council today.”
