External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said frustration was growing among countries over the lack of progress on reforming the United Nations, asserting that those opposing reforms were merely “using” the world body and did not genuinely care about it.
Speaking at a ministerial session on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, Jaishankar said the demand for UN reform had become stronger, with countries increasingly feeling that the organisation needed to reflect present-day geopolitical realities.
“The frustrations are mounting because at the end of the day, if we are serious about reform, we need some text-based negotiation because you can't have a negotiation without a text. Then it’s not a negotiation. Then it's just gaining time,” he said.
Jaishankar said the UN was increasingly seen as being “behind the curve”, and argued that reform was necessary to make the institution more representative of the contemporary world.
“That is actually the nub of the view that the UN should change. The UN is seen as behind the curve. That's not being anti-UN. It's actually those who care for the UN would like to reform the UN,” he said.
“I would suggest to you that those who oppose the reform are people who don't really care for the UN. They are using the UN, but they don't care for the UN,” he added.
Jaishankar also rejected the idea that UN reform could be achieved through unanimity, saying a text must first be prepared and negotiated before member states take a decision.
“You're not going to get reform by unanimity,” he said, adding that countries should be allowed to put forward their views before a democratic resolution is reached through voting.
He further said there was a greater willingness among Global South countries to cooperate and reduce traditional dependencies, describing it as a step towards a “more democratic world”.
His remarks come amid India's longstanding push for reform of the UN Security Council, including expansion of both its permanent and non-permanent membership. India has maintained that the current structure, established in 1945, does not reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.
Jaishankar also said the idea of having a woman as the next UN secretary general was a “bottom-up idea, not a top-down idea”.
The minister was speaking at a session titled ‘Ruptures & Ramparts: Building Bridges for a Changing World’, organised by the Observer Research Foundation, Reliance Foundation, UN in India and India's Permanent Mission to the UN.
(With inputs from PTI)