The United Nations General Assembly, on Tuesday, unanimously decided to defer Security Council reform discussions to its next session, a move that India criticized for potentially undermining the credibility of the reform process.
India’s Deputy Permanent Representative, Yojana Patel, expressed concern that the ongoing Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) could "lose legitimacy" if they continue indefinitely without producing concrete outcomes. Following the Assembly’s vote to roll over the discussions to the session beginning next month, Patel voiced India’s frustration over the lack of progress.
Patel labeled the IGN’s failure to establish a formal negotiating text as "untenable," emphasizing that the process has only seen incremental progress at best, falling short of the expectations of many delegations given the critical importance and urgency of the matter.
Since the IGN process began in 2009, the Assembly has repeatedly postponed the negotiations. Formal talks have been stalled due to opposition from certain countries to adopting a formal negotiating text, a step India has been advocating. This opposition is largely driven by a group of 12 countries, known as Uniting for Consensus, led by Italy and including Pakistan and Canada, who have used procedural tactics to block the adoption of the text.
Patel argued that the current efforts to expand consensus have reached a dead end, stressing that immediate text-based negotiations are essential for any meaningful progress. She also raised concerns about the draft text on Council reforms, contributed by the IGN co-chairs, being included in the Pact of the Future, which is set to be adopted at the Summit of the Future next month, coinciding with the UN’s 80th anniversary.
Patel criticized this draft as it was "finalized without proper negotiations" and, therefore, does not "accurately reflect the sentiment of the member states."
Additionally, Patel condemned the “Elements Paper” prepared by IGN co-chairs, Permanent Representatives Tareq Albanai of Kuwait and Alexander Marschik of Austria, which summarizes the progress made in the current session and serves as a basis for future discussions. She described the paper as a "subjective summary" filled with contradictions, and "inaccurate and misleading" for giving the impression of regional group consensus, despite admitting in a footnote that there was none.
Representing the G4 group—India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan, which collectively advocate for Security Council reform and mutual support for their permanent membership—Brazil’s Permanent Representative, Sergio Danese, warned that if the negotiations do not progress, it might become necessary to conclude that the IGN framework is fundamentally flawed or even an obstacle to reform.
Danese suggested that, in such a case, member states might need to explore new approaches and strategies. However, he also expressed some optimism, noting a growing consensus within the United Nations on the urgent need for reform.
After the vote, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, conveyed Guterres' hope that member states will wisely bring the Security Council reform process to a successful conclusion. Guterres has been particularly vocal about the need for reform, especially advocating for a permanent seat for an African country on the Security Council.
Read also | Germany Stabbing: Chancellor Scholz Promises Action Against Illegal Immigrants
Read also | PM Modi Discusses Ukraine Visit Insights in Call with Russian President Putin
