India’s UN Representative Advocates for Expansion of UNSC Membership
Image Source: The Hindu
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, advocates for the expansion of the United Nations Security Council membership in both permanent and non-permanent categories. She addressed the UNSC, emphasizing that expanding only in the non-permanent category will not solve the problem and will further entrench a dispensation that is no longer relevant in the current geopolitical context. She stressed that expanding non-permanent memberships will widen the difference between permanent and non-permanent members.
Kamboj cited a 2015 Framework Document where more than 90% of the written submissions supported expansion in both categories of membership specified in the Charter. On arguments of expansion in the permanent category being undemocratic, Kamboj affirmed that she fails to understand how something that is being called for by the majority of the membership is undemocratic.
She further mentioned that the information is readily available in the Framework Document of 2015 and just needs to be reflected clearly in the next updated iteration of the Elements Paper. She clarified that she is not discussing which specific member states would occupy the new permanent seats in an expanded and reformed Council. She is simply discussing a possible framework for the creation of new permanent seats.
Staff Reporter
