‘The world needs India’: New Delhi seeks permanent seat at UN Security Council

India must have a permanent seat on the UNSC to ensure proper representation of the country on the international stage, the vice president stated, as New Delhi continues to promulgate the council’s reform.

“We must renew our efforts to gain a permanent membership of the UN Security Council by further enhancing support from world nations and building a sustained dialogue in favor of UNSC reforms,” Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Tuesday.

India has emerged as the fastest growing economy with global powers acknowledging India’s growth story.

At present, there are five permanent members of the Security Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the US – which all have veto powers to cast aside any resolution which could compromise world stability and security. In addition to the victorious powers in World War II, the chamber also has ten seats for non-permanent members that are elected by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for two-year terms to better represent their geographic regions. These states, however, lack the veto powers awarded to permanent members of the council.

India, an important global power with 1.3 billion people, has been calling for reform of the UNSC for quite some time, along with Brazil, Germany and Japan. It argues that the country has earned the right to contribute to the world’s security.

“The world needs India because the problems and challenges facing the planet today need a humane, holistic vision,” Naidu stressed. “The world needs India because it needs a voice that speaks of peace, non-violence and peaceful coexistence.”

Yet despite calls to reform the UNSC, any changes to the composition of the chamber would require at least two-thirds approval from members of the General Assembly. Furthermore, all permanent members must consent to any expansion of the council to include new veto-yielding states.

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