Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'India deserves to be permanent member of UN' that was published in Newsband

India deserves to be permanent member of UN

The idea of bringing about Security Council reforms at United Nations is a welcome step forward. Most countries in the General Assembly support a restructuring of the UNSC. The institution, formed to meet the challenges of the post-War world, has struggled to cope with the dynamics of the post-Soviet Union world order. The global order has seen massive changes, from American unilateralism to the rise of multilateral institutions such as BRICS. The developing nations, including India, now play a larger role in both the international economy and politics.

If the UN still shies away from reforming the Security Council, the possibility of the institution being sidelined by emerging powers cannot be ruled out. But three powerful members of the UNSC — Russia, China, and the U.S. — are opposed to any major restructuring of the Council. While Russia and the U.S. have said they would support India’s UNSC bid, there is a danger of an aggressive neighbour like China having military might and economic prosperity, using veto power against India, power which was donated by India to it.

Even if the General Assembly members reach a consensus on reform, it could be shot down by the permanent members. The permanent members should realise that a more democratic and representative Security Council would be better-equipped to address global challenges. The developing nations including India have brought a paradigm shift in the approach towards the economic and social issues in the world through a new development concept. Indubitably, India has contributed a lot towards the stand of the developing and less developed nations, be it at UN or at WTO or any other international economic and political arena. Therefore, it is high time that the voice of the developing world be echoed through a country like India which has always passed the tested times. India as a fast developing nation will only benefit by becoming a permanent member. At the same time this is opportunity as well as its responsibility to take up this position

India's representation as a permanent member of the UNSC is long overdue. If there is objection from any country to India's membership, it is highly condemnable. India holds the world's second highest population and its right to permanent membership is legitimate. No country in the world can oppose it. UNSC reforms must be given highest priority to protect world order and peace.