India criticizes UN General Assembly’s decision on UNSC reform

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India has criticised the UN General Assembly’s decision to roll over the Inter-Governmental Negotiations on Security Council reform to the next UNGA session, terming it a “wasted opportunity” to instill a breath of life into a process that has shown no signs of life or growth in over four decades.

The 193-member General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a draft oral decision on Security Council reform, rolling over the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) process to the 77th session of the UN General Assembly that begins in September this year.

Charge d’Affaires at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Ambassador R Ravindra said India had been consistent in its position that the roll-over decision of the IGN simply could not be reduced to a “mindless technical exercise”.

“We see this technical roll-over decision as yet another wasted opportunity to instill a breath of life into a process that has shown no signs of life or growth in over four decades,” he said.

He asserted that it is now apparent that in its “current form and modalities – that is, without application of the GA Rules of Procedure, without an official record of proceedings, and without a single negotiating text – the IGN could well go on for yet another 75 years without any progress whatsoever in the direction of genuine reform.”

India underlined that as a responsible and constructive member of the United Nations, it would continue to engage in this process alongside “our reform-minded partners, and persist with our efforts to move from repetitive speeches to text-based negotiations”.

New Delhi, however, cautioned that “for those of us who truly wish to fulfil our leaders’ commitment to early and comprehensive Security Council reforms, looking beyond the IGN may now provide the only viable pathway”.

President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid said at the plenary meeting that the reform of the Security Council is “warranted and much delayed”. (PTI)