{"id":2617,"date":"2026-05-27T23:10:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/?p=2617"},"modified":"2026-05-27T23:10:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:40:32","slug":"india-says-entrenched-interests-blocking-un-security-council-reforms-amid-credibility-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/?p=2617","title":{"rendered":"India says ‘entrenched interests’ blocking UN Security Council reforms amid credibility crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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United Nations, Even as the Security Council, frozen in the world of 1945, faces a crisis of credibility, India has said that \u201centrenched interests\u201d are blocking reforms needed to make it capable of meeting contemporary challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLack of progress in the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Council reforms is indicative of entrenched interests of several member states to maintain the status quo and retain the eight-decade-old UNSC architecture\u201d, India\u2019s Permanent Representative P Harish said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reforms are blocked primarily by a small group of UN members who call themselves Uniting for Consensus (UfC), headed by Italy and including Pakistan. It uses procedural manoeuvres to stop the negotiations from making headway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harish was speaking at a debate in the Council on \u201cUpholding the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter and Strengthening the UN-Centred International System\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Central to India\u2019s reform proposals is expanding the Council’s permanent membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must address and expand the permanent category of membership, which alone will change the decision-making process of this Council\u201d, Harish said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot adapting to changed circumstances would further diminish the authority, credibility, legitimacy and effectiveness of the UN Security Council\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also drew attention to the Council\u2019s credibility crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Security Council that does not reflect the geopolitical realities of today\u2019s world cannot fully deliver on its responsibilities\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGlobal institutions must reflect today\u2019s realities \u2013 not those of 1945\u201d, he said. \u201cNowhere is this more urgent than in this Council\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mentioning in particular the injustice to Africa, the continent excluded from permanent membership, Guterres said, \u201cReform is about restoring credibility and better ensuring that this Council can act \u2013 decisively and inclusively \u2013 to uphold the Charter\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harish said, \u201cThe central to the UN\u2019s challenges today is an architecture that is frozen in the 1940\u2019s. It is akin to running advanced AI technologies on the 1945 version of the computer called the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citing the evolutionary principles that made humanity survive and thrive through its adaptability, he said, \u201cThe UN cannot be indifferent to this fundamental evolutionary principle. It must be flexible and adaptable to deliver meaningfully on the principles and purposes of the UN Charter\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making India’s case for permanent membership on a reformed Council, Harish pointed to India’s contributions to global peace, starting with the lead-up to the UN\u2019s founding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five permanent members of the Council are the victors in World War II, and their claims are based on their roles in the war, and Harish recalled the similar sacrifices made by Indians, giving India a similar claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that over 2.5 million Indian soldiers fought alongside the Allied Powers and over 87,000 made the supreme sacrifice during World War II, which led to the formation of the UN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis was not our war, but we paid dearly for it. Therefore, it was natural for us to become a founding member of the UN\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was reflective of our yearning for peace\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India continued its commitment to the UN through its \u201ctremendous foundational contributions towards establishing UN peacekeeping and in the maintenance of international peace and security, including in Korea, Indochina, Congo and Gaza\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have a divided Council at the level of permanent veto-wielding members. The calls for enhancing efficiencies and productivity at the UN are more pronounced than ever\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guterres also highlighted the disunity in the Council where permanent members act at cross purposes, paralysing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToo often, this Council fails to act with unity and purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen the Security Council is divided, the consequences are felt far beyond (this Chamber)\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

United Nations, Even as the Security Council, frozen in the world of 1945, faces a crisis of credibility, India has said that \u201centrenched interests\u201d are blocking reforms needed to make […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2618,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-display","category-international","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2619,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2617\/revisions\/2619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}