India has strongly advocated that any expansion of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) must grant veto powers to all new permanent members, warning that anything less would relegate them to a "second-class" status. Speaking at the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) plenary on the question of the veto at the UN General Assembly on Monday, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, underscored the necessity for all permanent members of a reformed Council to wield veto authority as long as the provision remains in effect.
Ambassador Parvathaneni highlighted that creating another category of long-term members without veto powers would not alter the decision-making dynamics currently dominated by the existing five permanent members (P5): China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These nations currently hold the exclusive veto privilege within the 15-member Security Council, where the remaining 10 members serve two-year elected terms. He argued that establishing a new category of permanent members, regardless of veto powers, would only complicate negotiations and deepen the very inequalities reform efforts aim to address. "Periodic elections and the concept of permanency are fundamentally contradictory," the diplomat stated.
Recalling the Council's only expansion in 1965, Parvathaneni noted that the increase in non-permanent members from six to 10, while the P5 retained their positions, shifted the ratio from 5:6 to 5:10, thereby strengthening the P5's relative power. India consistently calls for expanding both permanent and non-permanent membership categories, asserting that efforts focusing solely on increasing non-permanent members would fall short of meaningful reform. New Delhi has long championed Security Council reform, arguing that the body, established in 1945, no longer reflects contemporary geopolitical realities, and maintains its own deservingness for a permanent seat.
Beyond its push for permanent membership, India is also seeking a non-permanent seat for the 2028-29 term, with elections scheduled for June next year. India and Tajikistan will contest the sole seat allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group. India last served on the Council in 2021-22, marking its eighth term, following previous stints in 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92, and 2011-12.
Parvathaneni also emphasized that the veto should be exercised with "great restraint," particularly on matters of international peace and security, and not as an instrument of narrow political expediency. He stressed that discussions on limiting the veto cannot be separated from broader Security Council reform aspects, including membership categories, regional representation, the Council's size, and its working methods. India advocates a comprehensive approach to reform, urging text-based negotiations to commence promptly with clearly defined timelines and milestones. He further pointed out that veto-like powers extend beyond formal votes, as any Council member can effectively block presidential statements, press statements, and decisions of sanctions committees through the unwritten rule of consensus.
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📰 Source: Daijiworld