New Delhi calls out attempts to limit representation at UN Security Council

India has said those who oppose comprehensive reform of the global body are “on the wrong side of history”

India has called for sweeping reforms to make the UN Security Council “fit for purpose,” arguing that it should have more members from underrepresented regions. 

Speaking at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiations framework (IGN) – a group of countries working to reform the Security Council (UNSC) – on Tuesday, India’s permanent representative to the UN, P. Harish, said the current geopolitical realities point to the need for a review of the global architecture. 

“Reform is essential to make the UN fit for purpose, to enable it to respond meaningfully to the current global challenges… And those who do not endorse real reforms that reflect contemporary realities fall on the wrong side of history, which is detrimental to all of us,” he stated on behalf of the G4 group of nations, which also includes Brazil, Germany and Japan. 

The proposed G4 model for UNSC reform discussed at the 2024 IGN meetings includes expanding Security Council membership from 15 to 25 or 26 – comprising 11 permanent members and 14 or 15 non-permanent members, according to Harish. 

Only expanding the non-permanent category ignores the existing imbalances in the permanent category and does not address the concerns of the developing world, especially Africa, the G4 said. Currently, the Security Council has five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the US, and UK, and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.

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PR @AmbHarishP delivered the statement of G4 (