Indian FM: ‘Some Powers’ Don’t Want UN Reforms for Their ‘Own Advantage’

© AP Photo / Manish SwarupIndian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar addresses a press conference on the performance of the ministry of external affairs in first 100 days of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new term in office in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar addresses a press conference on the performance of the ministry of external affairs in first 100 days of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new term in office in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019. - Sputnik India, 1920, 13.01.2023
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New Delhi has said that reforming the UN to reflect the contemporary global realities is essential so that it remains relevant.
Making a pitch for reformed multilateralism, Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar said on Friday that “some powers” in the world don’t want to reform the United Nations, which has been “frozen” since World War II.
Addressing the foreign ministers’ session of ‘Voice of Global South Summit’, Jaishankar said that the UN as well many multilateral organizations have been unable to articulate the “concerns” of the Global South, or the low and middle-income countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
“Some powers have been singularly focused on their own advantage, to the exclusion of the well-being of the international community,” Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar reckoned that the economic issues gripping the developing countries haven’t got the attention they “deserved” in the global decision-making process, despite the fact that“recent developments have added to the “stresses and anxieties” of the Global South, already suffering from unsustainable levels of foreign debt, trade barriers, decreasing financial flows and climate pressure.
The Indian minister reckoned that the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has “starkly exposed the dangers” of over-centralization of globalization and unreliable supply chains.
“The costs and availability of fuel, food and fertilizers has emerged as a major concern for many of us. So too has the disruption in trade and commercial services,” India's FM added.
A windmill farm works in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India, Wednesday, Sept 14, 2022. - Sputnik India, 1920, 13.01.2023
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In this regard, India would make “reformed multilateralism” a priority during its G20 presidency as well as in the 21st century in general.

What's more, according to India’s FM, the country’s G20 Presidency priorities would be shaped in close collaboration with the “fellow citizens” of the Global South, and not just the other G20 nations.

To Reform or Not to Reform

India has previously blamed Beijing for blocking its bid for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.
The UNSC expansion is being carried out under the aegis of Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN), an intra-UN group tasked with the process.
More to it, New Delhi has also been upset with its western partners for not understanding India’s decision to ramp up its crude supplies from Russia amid a global volatility in commodity prices caused by western efforts to phase out Russian commodities from the global supply chains.
Last September, Jaishankar said that the Global South was feeling “increasingly frustrated” with the western nations for not addressing high fuel and food prices which have driven up inflation in many low and middle-income nations.
India, along with Brazil, Germany, and Japan (collectively known as the G4), has said that the UN will be superseded” by other multilateral organizations unless it reflects the realities of the contemporary world.
The UNSC currently comprises five permanent members — Russia, the US, France, China, and the United Kingdom (UK) — and 10 non-permanent members, the latter being elected for a two-year term. The five permanent members enjoy the right to veto any Security Council decision.
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