Good beginning, says India on UNSC reform document

Sub: IR

Sec: Int org

Context:

World leaders adopted by consensus the “Pact of the Future”, promising to reform the Security Council, recognising the urgent need to make it more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable”.
This is for the first time a UN summit document includes a detailed paragraph on Security Council reform. India has welcomed the move, calling it a good beginning.
India anticipates eventual text-based negotiations on reforms moving forward.

Pact of the Future:

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the pact without a vote at the Summit of the Future. The agreement came after some nine months of negotiations.
Russia and Iran were among seven nations to oppose the pact, but they failed to prevent the document from proceeding during the summit.
The Pact covers abroad range of issues including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance.
It includes a pledge to accelerate efforts towards achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement commitments on climate change.
It speaks of addressing the root causes of conflicts and accelerating commitments on human rights, including women’s rights.

Annexure to the Pact:

Global Digital Compact: dealing with regulating artificial intelligence (AI).
Declaration on Future Generations: pushes for national and international decision-making to focus on securing the wellbeing of generations to come.

UN Summit of the Future:

It is a flagship event organised during the annual high-level UN General Assembly meeting in September.
It brings together UN Member States, UN agencies, NGOs, CSOs, academic institutions, the private sector, and youth under the theme, ‘Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’.
It aims to address some of the most pressing global challenges by strengthening multilateral cooperation and advancing long-term strategies for global governance.
This will be achieved through an action-oriented outcome document known as the Pact for the Future.

UN Security Council (UNSC):

The Security Council was established by the UN Charter in 1945. It is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
Its primary responsibility is to maintain international peace and security.
Composition: It consists of 15 members:
- Permanent Members (5):China, France, Russia, UK and US.
- Non-Permanent Members (10): Elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.
Voting:
- Each member of the Security Council has one vote.
- A resolution typically needs at least 9 votes in favor out of the 15.
Veto Power: Permanent members can veto any substantive resolution. A single veto from any of these five members prevents the resolution from passing, regardless of the number of votes in favour.
The council’s presidency rotates every month among its 15 members.
The council is headquartered at New York.

Need for UNSC Reforms:

Representation: The five permanent members reflect the geopolitical realities of 1945, when the UN was founded, but not the current global order. The lack of permanent members from Africa, Latin America, and other populous regions is seen as a major gap.
Veto Power Issues: Veto power has been misused by countries for their national interest. For instance, P5 members have used their veto to block resolutions related to Syria, Ukraine, and Palestine.
New Threats: The UNSC’s current structure struggles to address emerging global threats like climate change, cyber warfare, pandemics, and terrorism.
Loss of confidence: Rivalries among P5 members has prevented the council from taking decisive actions. This has undermined the credibility of UNSC.

G4 group and Uniting for Consensus movement

The G4 nations comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan are four countries which support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
G4’s primary aim is the permanent member seats on the Security Council.
Each of these four countries have figured among the elected non-permanent members of the council since the UN’s establishment.
Their economic and political influence has grown significantly in the last decades, reaching a scope comparable to the permanent members (P5).
However, the G4’s bids are often opposed by the Uniting for Consensus movement( Under the leadership of Italy, it aims to counter the bids for permanent seats proposed by G4 nations (Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan) and is calling for a consensus before any decision is reached on the form and size of the United Nations Security Council.), and particularly their economic competitors or political rivals

Suggested reforms:

Expanding the number of permanent members to include countries like India, Japan, Brazil, and South Africa, representing more regions.
Introducing semi-permanent seats for regional blocs that would rotate representation.
Limiting or abolishing the veto power to prevent its abuse or introducing mechanisms to override a veto if a majority of the council agrees.