Reform UNSC

The UN General Assembly president, Csaba Korosi, has hit the nail on the head: the ‘paralysed’ and ‘dysfunctional’ UN Security Council (UNSC) does not reflect today’s realities and is unable to discharge its basic functions of maintaining international peace and security as well as preventing wars. His strong remarks come weeks before the war in eastern Europe is set to complete a year. Referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Korosi said veto power prevented the UNSC from taking action against one of its permanent members that had attacked a neighbour. Currently, the Council has five permanent seats, occupied by the US, the UK, China, France and Russia. Only a permanent member has the power to veto a resolution. Russia has not only vetoed UNSC resolutions on Ukraine but also voted against a resolution in the UN General Assembly which called on countries not to recognise the four regions of Ukraine that Russia has claimed.

Korosi’s comments are in sync with the firm stand taken by India, the incumbent G20 president. Speaking at the ‘Voice of Global South Summit’ recently, PM Narendra Modi stressed the need for a fundamental reform of major international organisations, including the UNSC. India has made it clear that these reforms should focus on highlighting the concerns of the developing world and reflect the realities of the 21st century.

There is no doubt that making the UNSC more representative and inclusive will help in improving its efficiency and transparency. Contemporary global challenges such as geopolitical conflict, climate change, food and energy insecurity, present and future pandemics and wide-ranging inequalities cannot be addressed by an institution with an outmoded framework. The UN’s ostrich mentality is summed up by the fact that the Security Council’s composition has been changed only once in several decades — back in 1965, the General Assembly expanded the Council from 11 to 15 members with the addition of four non-permanent seats. The international community must speak with one voice on the urgency of carrying out UNSC reforms. India has a key role to play in making the premier world body relevant and potent.