India’s UNSC permanent seat push: ‘We have to build consensus’ — ex-diplomat on why ‘world needs India’ | Exclusive

The push for reform of the United Nations Security Council has gained fresh momentum, with the G4 grouping of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan renewing its call for changes to the eight-decade-old body.

In a joint statement released Thursday, the G4 foreign ministers described the existing structure of the UNSC as “anachronistic” and said reform was “more necessary than ever” amid an increasingly challenging global environment.

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

Separately, the four members of the Visegrad Group — Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — also voiced their collective support.

Against this backdrop, 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 case for permanent membership goes beyond its own national interests.

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

“The Security Council is the principal organ of the United Nations responsible for matters relating to international peace and security. Its decisions on peacekeeping operations, sanctions and other international security issues are shaped significantly by the permanent members, who have veto powers,” he said.

Goel said India’s case is also linked to its role as a representative of the Global South.

“India is not merely a country of 1.4 billion people. It is a country of the Global South, a country which pioneered the process of non-alignment and represents the interests and aspirations of a large number of countries in Africa, Latin America and other parts of the developing world,” he said.

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

No two-tier permanent membership

Goel also rejected the possibility of India being granted a permanent seat without the same powers as the existing permanent members, particularly the veto.

“All permanent members of the Security Council should have similar powers. There cannot be two tiers of permanent membership — one with veto power and another without it. Such an arrangement is not acceptable to India,” he said.

The issue of veto power has remained a central part of discussions on UNSC reform, with proposals differing on whether any new permanent members should have the same powers as the existing five permanent members.

UNGA is only one part of the reform process

While the annual UN General Assembly provides an important diplomatic platform for discussions on Security Council reform, Goel said negotiations would continue beyond the current session.

“The process of reforming the UN Security Council does not remain confined to the period of the UN General Assembly. The UNGA provides a platform for countries to express their political views on Security Council reform, and a majority of countries have supported reform as well as India’s permanent membership in a reformed Security Council,” he said.

“India will continue to argue that it is a legitimate and justified candidate for permanent membership. But the discussions and negotiations on reform will continue beyond the UNGA,” Goel added.

India must continue building consensus

For India, the next step would be to continue building support among UN member states, according to Goel.

“The idea will be to keep building consensus. There are several options being discussed at the United Nations, including the G4 framework and other proposals. The objective should be to build consensus around a model that countries can agree on,” he said.

“Security Council restructuring requires the approval of the UN members, and the permanent members have a pivotal say in the process. Therefore, we have to build consensus, and that is what India will continue to do,” he added.

China’s position on UNSC reform

China remains particularly important to India’s UNSC reform efforts because of its position as one of the existing five permanent members.

Goel said there appeared to have been a “slight change” in Beijing’s position on India’s role in a reformed Security Council.

“We have seen, in the recent Delhi Declaration and in the latest UN General Assembly resolutions, China agreeing to a more important role for India in a reformed Security Council,” he said.

“We do not know exactly what China means by a ‘more important role’, but it does reflect a change. We have to build on that,” Goel added.

India needs China's support for UNSC bid

Goel, who has served at India’s UN mission, said his experience demonstrates the importance of taking the permanent members on board in any reform process.

“My own experience has been that, in any process of Security Council restructuring or reform, the decision-making role of the permanent members is extremely important. Therefore, we need to build a process that takes the permanent members on board so that they do not veto the outcome,” he said.

“China obviously has a different way of looking at the issue. We need to ensure that China’s reservations are addressed and persuade China to accept India’s inclusion as a permanent member of a reformed Security Council,” Goel said.

“It is a very slow and difficult process, but that is the only way to move forward,” he added.