‘UNSC has been rendered ineffective’: India reiterates call for reformed multilateralism

Reiterating its call for reform in global institutions, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj on Friday remarked that the world has been unable to resolve disputes through the United Nations, because its core body, the UN Security Council has been “rendered ineffective”.

Addressing a UNSC Open Debate on “Peace through Dialogue: the Contribution of Regional, Subregional and Bilateral Arrangements to the Prevention and Peaceful Resolution of Disputes”, Kamboj said, “Unless we undertake comprehensive reforms and get this house in order, we will continue to face a continuing crisis of credibility. The New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism, which we advocate, flows from the idea that there cannot be genuine solidarity without trust.”

The ambassador also said that an overwhelming majority of countries from the Global South support India’s stance of reform in the UN architecture and further called for a change in the direction of reformed multilateralism, including the expansion of the Security Council.

Kamboj also reiterated India’s position of resolving disputes through meaningful bilateral negotiations. “Where there are bilateral agreements on ways to resolve any pending dispute between parties, the best way forward would be for the international community to recognize the existence of such means and encourage the same. We have seen several examples in the past where bilateral discussions, and regional and sub-regional mechanisms have been more effective in achieving mutually acceptable solutions to resolve disputes,” she said.

She also expressed India’s support for engagements between the UN and regional and sub-regional organisations, particularly in Africa. Kamboj said that peacekeeping forces need to be reconfigured to actively liaise with regional forces.

“It is equally important to build capacities and capabilities of potential regional partners, as well as host states. We have done so on our part with several partners, especially in Africa. We also need to support African-led Peace Operations with resources and well-defined mandates, that from their very inception also factor in exit strategies,” she said.

Kamboj earlier congratulated the Brazilian delegation, on their Presidency of the Council. Brazil will hold the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency during the month of October.

It is pertinent to note that India has repeatedly called for UN reform. At the G20 Summit held in New Delhi last year, India highlighted the need for reforms of the UNSC and to address the concerns regarding the inefficiency of multilateral institutions to deal with new challenges.

Last month, India called on the international community to question why the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been rendered “completely ineffective” in coming up with a resolution for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict that has spanned close to 19 months.

The Secretary expressed regret at the UNSC open debate on the collateral consequences of the conflict that have led to rising prices of food, fuel and fertilizers that have affected the world and the member-states of the Global South in particular.

The Foreign Ministers of the G4 countries- India, Brazil, Germany and Japan – met on the margins of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September and discussed negotiations for the reform of the UN Security Council. They agreed that multilateralism is under significant strain due to multiple crises.

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