Jaishankar says UN 'largely irrelevant', UNSC 'frozen': Why India is pushing for reforms | Explained

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar delivered a scathing assessment of the United Nations, saying the world body has become “largely irrelevant” to decisions on some of the biggest global crises due to a “stalled” UN Security Council.

Addressing the 5th Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi on Monday, Jaishankar said the UN’s inability to respond effectively to major conflicts and global crises exposed the limitations of its current structure, news agency ANI reported.

“As far as the UN is concerned, it is now clear to everyone that the UN is in a deadlock,” Jaishankar said, pointing to conflicts in the Persian Gulf, Ukraine and Africa, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.

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According to him, the problem is closely related to the structure of the Security Council, whose composition no longer reflects the wider international community.

“And in large part that’s because the Security Council is deadlocked and the Security Council no longer represents the entire global interest,” he said.

Why is the UN Security Council “stuck”?

The UN Security Council is the main body of the United Nations that deals with international peace and security. It has 15 members — five permanent members with veto power and 10 elected members.

The permanent members – the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom – can block substantive resolutions through their vetoes.

The structure is increasingly under scrutiny as major powers are torn apart by conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and crises in the Middle East.

Jaishankar argued that the institution had failed to keep pace with the dramatic expansion of UN membership.

“The UN started with 51 members; today it has almost four times that number. So, if you’ve grown four times and you want to keep the old governing council, it’s not going to work. It’s common sense,” he said.

Why is UN Security Council reform important for India?

For India, it is not just about securing a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. New Delhi argued that the Council itself must become more representative of the geopolitical realities of the 21st century.

When the United Nations was founded in 1945, much of Asia and Africa was still under colonial rule. Today, developing countries have a large share of UN membership, but their representation in the permanent structure of the Council remains limited.

India therefore pushed for the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership along with greater African representation.

In an earlier interview with LiveMint, former diplomat Suresh Goel, who served at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York from 1991-95, explained why India’s bid for permanent membership goes beyond its own national interests.

“The question is not why it is important for India to have a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, but why the world needs India as a permanent member,” Goel said.

“India’s claim to permanent membership is therefore also based on its role as the voice of the Global South,” he added.

New Delhi is working with the G4 grouping – India, Brazil, Germany and Japan – as well as L.69, an interregional coalition of developing countries, to build support for UN Security Council reform.

What did S Jaishankar say about Africa?

Jaishankar also took aim at countries that he said were invoking African interests while opposing UN reforms.

“There are several players, several countries that are resisting UN reform and using the name Africa,” he said.

According to Jaishankar, African countries have already expressed their position on reform through intergovernmental negotiations.

India has repeatedly supported greater African representation and argued that a reformed Security Council must better reflect the interests of the Global South.

The G4 renews pressure to reform the UN Security Council

Jaishankar’s remarks come as the campaign to reform the Security Council gathers momentum during the ongoing session of the UN General Assembly.

The G4 – India, Brazil, Germany and Japan – recently renewed their call for reform, calling the eight-decade-old current Security Council structure “anachronistic” and saying reform is “more needed than ever” amid growing global challenges.

Read also | Mint Explainer: How India is pushing for UN Security Council reform?

The grouping also reiterated its support for greater representation of African countries in the Security Council.

Separately, four members of the Visegrad Group – Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic – expressed joint support for the reform of the UNSC.