Speaking at an event at Delhi University on Thursday (31 August), External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said “Keeping India out of the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will only call the credibility of the international organization into question”. Jaishankar compared the five permanent members, who are vested with the veto power, with passengers sitting on the first row of a bus and not leaving their places. Jaishankar’s statement stressing the need for India to be given permanent membership of the UNSC assumes significance as it has come ahead of the G20 Summit to be held on 9-10 September in New Delhi. Therefore, Jaishankar’s remarks should be viewed as a much-needed attempt by India to set a strong pitch for a permanent seat in the UN body ahead of the G20 summit which will witness participation from representatives of both member nations and guest nations in New Delhi next week. By all indications, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will use the opportunity to be provided by all the upcoming bilateral talks with several global leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit to make a strong pitch for New Delhi’s inclusion in the UNSC as a permanent member. By making all these observations related to the UNSC, Jaishankar has signaled that the Indian side is all ready to steer the G20 bloc’s focus to the UN reforms as well. It is attributed to India’s aggressive diplomatic campaign that the BRICS, the group consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, first time stressed the need for the UNSC memberships to undergo a change.
The Indian side is definitely quite happy over this success. According to the final declaration of the 15th BRICS summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa recently, the member countries had favoured increased representation of developing nations in the UN Security Council. The statement supported Brazil’s, India’s and South Africa’s bid to play a greater role in the UNSC. “We support a comprehensive reform of the UN, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries in the Council›s memberships so that it can adequately respond to prevailing global challenges and support the legitimate aspirations of emerging and developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, including Brazil, India and South Africa, to play a greater role in international affairs, in particular in the United Nations, including its Security Council,” read the joint statement. The BRICS statement no doubt came as a shot in the arm for India’s mission for UNSC permanent membership. Nothing can explain the confidence and enthusiasm in the Indian camp better than the words spoken by Jaishankar himself. “BRICS first time said that UNSC memberships should undergo a change. History is on our side, and the UN will change. Forces who are blocking it will keep trying but eventually, it will happen,” Jaishankar said at a DU event. Obviously, Jaishankar referred to China as forces hindering India’s quest for the membership in the UNSC. Only a month ago, ahead of his France visit PM Modi had made a strong pitch for India’s rightful place in the UNSC. The PM had asked, “How can we talk of it (UNSC) as a primary organ of a global body, when entire continents of Africa and Latin America are ignored? How can it claim to speak for the world when its most populous country, and its largest democracy, is not a permanent member?” With EAM Jaishankar making a strong pitch again for India’s inclusion in this global body as a permanent member, there are all indications that PM Modi will not miss any chance during the forthcoming G20 Summit to reaffirm India’s claim for a permanent seat.
Significantly, what augurs well for India is that among five permanent members of the 15-nation Council, the US, the UK, France and Russia have supported a permanent seat for India in the UN body. China is the only country which has not backed India’s bid for a permanent seat. India wants new nations, which are being included in the BRICS, to also support its campaign for a permanent seat. New Delhi needs to steer the global community to mount pressure on Beijing to withdraw its obstacles. In another positive development, while speaking at the BRICS summit, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also backed calls for reforming the UNSC.