India's bid for UN Security Council seat rekindled
India's aim of becoming a long-standing member of the UN security council took a vital step forward. The UN general assembly allowed to ratify a negotiating text for security council reforms. The draft resolution summons for the coming year's UN program to address the "question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council."
The dream of UN expansion
Currently, the UN Security Council comprises of 5 members (P5): US, Russia, England, China and France. The G4 countries—Brazil, Germany, India and Japan want to increase the membership of the Security Council to 25 members. The new permanent members would ensure 2 seats from Asia, another 2 from Africa, 1 from the Caribbean and Latin America, and 1 from western Europe.
UN Expansion: Easier said than done
The UN's security council requires changing the UN's charter which would essentially require the backing of two-thirds of the General Assembly "- including the current P5".
UK, France for India's permanent membership to UNSC
UN General Assembly President Sam Kutesa introduced the debate on 'Equitable Representation and Increase in Security Council Assembly and reaffirmed that reform of the UN body was one of his top priorities Some 50 nations partaking in the General Assembly session said Security Council reformation was long overdue and required to mirror current political realities. UK, France and Nepal supported India's security-council membership demand.
India calls for decisive action for Security Council
India urged the UN to take decisive action for the Security Council reform in 2015. India also called for discussions to begin on a concise text to achieve meaningful progress. Ambassador Bhagwant Bishnoi, Acting Permanent Representative to the UN wished the 11th round of Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) not be like the earlier rounds, where despite talks no result could be reached.
US, China and Russian refrain UN-security council negotiations
India suffered a setback when the US, Russia and China resisted negotiations to reform the powerful UN body. Their refusal came through their denial to "contribute to a text" that would determine the basis for the long-drawn reform process. The US said it was open to the expansion of the security council but remained unwilling to "any alteration or expansion of the veto".
US's two-faced policy towards India in UN
While President Obama came all out to support India's bid for permanent membership; US refrained from signing the text that called for negotiations on expansion of the Security Council - a move that was seen as 'duplicitous' by the Indian polity.
