British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday supported India’s bid for a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), days after US President Joe Biden and France’s Emmanuel Macron made similar pitches. Addressing the general debate of the sixty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr. Starmer said the UNSC must change to become “a more representative body, willing to act – not paralyzed by politics”.
Currently, the UNSC consists of five permanent members and 10 non-permanent member states who are elected by the General Assembly of the United Nations for a two-year term. The five permanent members are Russia, Britain, China, France and the United States, who have the power to veto any substantive resolution.
“We want to see permanent African representation in the Council, Brazil, India, Japan and Germany as permanent members and more seats for elected members,” Mr Starmer said.
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Earlier on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron had also expressed strong support for India’s inclusion as a permanent member of the UNSC.
“As long as we have a Security Council that is blocked, I would say, mutually according to the interests of each side, we will have difficulty moving forward. So let’s make these United Nations more effective, first perhaps by making them more representative. That is why France, and I repeat here, is in favor of the expansion of the Security Council,” he told the UN General Assembly.
“Germany, Japan, India and Brazil should be permanent members, plus two countries that Africa will decide to represent,” he said.
president of france @EmmanuelMacron Reiterates France’s call for UN Security Council reform that will include a permanent seat for India?? during his address #UNGA79 ,@franceonu @francediplo_EN @MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/0cIPxbWM0i
— French Embassy in India???? (@FranceinIndia) 26 September 2024
Last week, Joe Biden also pitched for India as a permanent member of the UNSC.
During his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his home in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday, Mr Biden said the US supports initiatives to reform global institutions to reflect India’s important voice, including a reformed United Nations. The Security Council also includes permanent membership for New Delhi.
I thank President Biden for hosting me at his residence in Greenville, Delaware. Our conversation was very meaningful. During the meeting we got the opportunity to discuss regional and global issues. @Joe Biden pic.twitter.com/WzWW3fudTn
-Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 21 September 2024
India has been arguing for decades that it deserves to be a member of the UNSC. New Delhi has said the 15-nation council, established in 1945, is not fit for purpose in the 21st century and does not reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.
India last sat at the UN High Table as a non-permanent member in 2021-22.
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At the ‘Summit for the Future’ on Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also warned that the 15-nation UNSC, which he described as “outdated” and whose authority is eroding, will eventually lose all credibility unless Its structure and functioning does not happen. The methods have been improved.
