Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs, emphasized the urgent need for reform within the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to enhance its representativeness, transparency, efficiency, effectiveness, democracy, and accountability.
Lal made these remarks during the UNSC Open Debate on Leadership for Peace, highlighting that the world is facing devastating armed conflicts and that the current multilateral response is inadequate, failing to either prevent or resolve these issues.
“Serious armed conflicts are impacting lives, economies, and societies across geographies in our interconnected world. The current multilateral response is falling seriously short in ending and preventing such conflicts, in tackling unrelenting threats from terrorism and transnational organized crimes, and in ensuring maritime security,” Lal stated.
He pointed out that the UN Security Council, tasked with securing international peace and security, was designed eight decades ago in a vastly different era when three-quarters of today’s UN member states were colonies. “The times have changed; the world has moved on,” he added.
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Lal called for the UNSC to become “representative, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic, and accountable,” urging that “text-based negotiations must begin.” He criticized those opposing meaningful changes to the global governance structure, stating, “Those opposing a meaningful change to global governance structure are damaging UN’s legitimacy, overshadowing its contributions in developmental and humanitarian sectors.”
In his speech, Lal also condemned Pakistan for its alleged support of terrorism, stressing the necessity for the international community to denounce such actions. He remarked, “… Their (Pakistan) support for the elaborate terror ecosystem, training and harboring global terrorists is well documented. It is high time that Pakistan starts working for its own people. Their cynical export of terror in pursuit of their vicious agenda can never succeed. Such continuing threats to international peace and security must be firmly rejected by the international community.”
India has long aspired to secure a permanent seat in the Security Council to better represent the interests of the developing world, a quest that has gained momentum with increasing support from the international community.
The UNSC comprises 15 member states, including five permanent members with veto power and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. The five permanent members of the UNSC are China, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States.
Additionally, Lal addressed India’s position on nuclear weapons during the High-level Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations. He stated, “Nuclear weapons continue to pose a grievous danger to humanity. India remains firmly committed to the goal of universal, non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament in a specified time frame.”
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