India renews push for UNSC reform in New York

New York: The L69 grouping of developing countries, in a meeting hosted by India, has given a renewed call for the reform of the UN Security Council, with the inclusion of both more permanent and non-permanent members in the council.

It has also expressed the hope that Intergovernmental Negotiation (IGN) process, which is where the issue of reform is being discussed among all member states, will deliver a “single consolidated text” which can then serve as the basis for moving towards “concrete outcomes within a fixed timeframe”.

L69 is a grouping that includes countries from Africa, Latin America, Caribbean, Pacific Island states and Asia. In 2007-08, the group had tabled a document - L69 — which kickstarted the IGN process.

Representatives of the member countries of the group participated in a ministerial meeting at the permanent mission of India in New York on Thursday morning. In a joint press statement, the group said today’s complex and interconnected challenges highlighted the urgency of reforming UNSC to “better reflect contemporary geopolitical realities, and to enhance its legitimacy, effectiveness, and implementation of its decisions”.

The group also reaffirmed that expansion of the Council, in both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, was “essential to make the body more representative, legitimate, and effective”. “In this regard, they reiterated their expectation that the ongoing Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process on UNSC reform will commence negotiations based on a single consolidated text, with the aim of delivering concrete outcomes within a fixed time frame.”

China, and a group of “naysayer” countries which seek to block regional rivals from getting a UNSC seat, have actively blocked negotiations by calling for a consensus in principle, while interrupting a consensus in practice, which has left the process of reform stuck.

In particular, L69 called for the enhanced representation of developing countries to improve the UNSC’s ability to respond to current challenges. It also emphasised the principle of “equitable geographical representation”, with a nod to increase representation of regions such as Africa, Caribbean and Latin America “in both categories in the council”. In the UNSC today, there isn’t a single member from the three regions mentioned.

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