We will end up with an increasingly irrelevant UN: Jaishankar calls for reforms in the international body
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Sydney, Oct 12: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the UN could become irrelevant and many countries from the Global South feel this is not their United Nations if essential reforms are not undertaken. He agreed that reforms at the United Nations Security Council(UNSC) are akin to a ‘hard nut’ but said hard nuts can be cracked.
At a lively discussion with Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute in Sydney on Tuesday, Jaishankar was talking about difficulties in reforming the UN Security Council while referring to the nations in the African continent, nations in Latin America, Pacific Island-nations and other smaller countries who may have felt isolated at the global forum.
"If you go to the UN General assembly and talk to countries, there are countries in Africa, Latin America and the small island states quite apart from Asia and India who feel very strongly that this is not their UN and that is hugely damaging to the UN" he added while talking about UNSC reforms.
He added,"We all know why reform has been blocked for so many years I think it is important to keep up the pressure, there is global sentiment out there. We completely understand this is not something that is going to be done easily and necessarily speedily but it is something that has to be done. Otherwise, we will end up frankly, with an increasingly irrelevant United Nations".
"I think that’s hugely damaging to the UN. So one of the developments this time, in fact, has been a very explicit recognition by President Joe Biden of the need to actually reform the UN which is not a small development, but we need to get it because we all know why reform has been blocked for so many years," he said.
Further, he added, "Well, it’s a hard nut but hard nuts can be cracked. We completely understand that this is not something which is going to be done easily…but it’s something which has to be done. Otherwise, we will end up frankly, with an increasingly irrelevant United Nations."
Jaishankar is in Canberra on a diplomatic trip to Australia. He finished his diplomatic tour to New Zealand earlier this month. Besides, the UNSC comprises 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent member countries. The non-permanent countries are elected for a period of 2 years by the United Nations General Assembly. The 5 permanent UNSC member countries include Russia, the UK, China, France and the United States.
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India has been pushing for the long-pending reforms at the Security council while emphasizing that merits a place at the UNSC as a permanent member. India's candidacy has also been proposed by many leaders including US President Joe Biden last year.
India, one of the founding members of the world body has been elected as a non-permanent member of the Council seven times during the years- 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and most recently in 2011-2012.
Koradi Temple
Mes, Pune
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