United Nations, 13 July
India has criticized the UN General Assembly’s decision to roll over intergovernmental talks on Security Council reform to the next UNGA session, terming it a “wasted opportunity” to breathe life into a process in which there is no sign of life. Not shown are developments over four decades.
The 193-member General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a draft oral decision on Security Council reform, advancing the Inter-Governmental Dialogue (IGN) process for the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, which begins in September this year.
D’affaires, in-charge of India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, said India stands by its position that IGN’s roll-over decision cannot be reduced to mere “mindless technical exercise”.
“We view this technological roll-over decision as another wasted opportunity to breathe life into a process that has shown no sign of life or development in four decades,” he said.
He stressed that it is now clear that in its “current form and modus operandi – that is, without application of the GA Rules of Procedure, without official records of proceedings, and without a single conversation text – IGN is yet can go on for another 75 years without any progress towards real reform.”
India underlined that as a responsible and constructive member of the United Nations, it “will continue to engage in this process along with our reform-minded partners, and in our efforts to move from repetitive speeches to text-based dialogue”. Will continue with the efforts”.
However, New Delhi cautioned that “for those of us who really want to fulfill our leaders’ commitment to speedy and comprehensive reforms of the Security Council, beyond the IGN may now provide the only viable path”.
Abdullah Shahid, the president of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, told the plenary that the reform of the Security Council was “necessary and very delayed”.