{"id":39681,"date":"2024-02-18T07:52:11","date_gmt":"2024-02-18T02:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=39681"},"modified":"2025-04-24T18:22:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T12:52:52","slug":"unsc-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/unsc-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"India on UNSC reform"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in news?<\/li>\n<li>What is United Nations Security Council (UNSC)?<\/li>\n<li>UNSC Reform<\/li>\n<li>What is Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN)?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why in news?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India\u2019s Permanent Representative at the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, speaking at the Inter-Governmental Negotiations on Security Council Reform stressed upon the need for comprehensive reform of the Security Council.<\/li>\n<li>India has questioned how much longer can the will of five permanent members of the UNSC\u00a0<u>continue to override the collective voice of the world organisation\u2019s 188 member states<\/u>.<\/li>\n<li>India also stressed that equity must be the cornerstone of global efforts to reform the 15-nation UN body.\n<ul>\n<li>Equity demands that every nation, irrespective of its size or power, be afforded an equal opportunity to shape global decision-making.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>India highlighted that expanding only in the non-permanent category of the Council will not solve the problem.\n<ul>\n<li>It will in fact will widen the difference between permanent and non-permanent members even more, thereby perpetuating inequities instead of removing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>United Nations Security Council (UNSC)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>About\n<ul>\n<li>The United Nations Charter established six main organs of the United Nations, including the UN Security Council (UNSC).<\/li>\n<li>UNSC has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.<\/li>\n<li>Under the UN Charter, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions.<\/li>\n<li>The Security Council has a permanent residence at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Powers:\n<ul>\n<li>Establishment of peacekeeping operations.<\/li>\n<li>Establishment of international sanctions.<\/li>\n<li>Authorisation of military action through Security Council resolutions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Members:\n<ul>\n<li>The U.N. Charter provides for 15 members of the UNSC:<\/li>\n<li>Five permanent members are known as P5, including the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia and the US.\n<ul>\n<li>They have veto power over decisions of the UNSC.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>10 non-permanent members. Each year the 193-member General Assembly elects five non-permanent members for a two-year term at the UNSC.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>UNSC Reform<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>About\n<ul>\n<li>UNSC reform refers to the process of revising and updating the structure, composition, and functioning of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).<\/li>\n<li>The UNSC is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security.<\/li>\n<li>However, its current configuration and decision-making processes is not representative of the current geo-political realities.<\/li>\n<li>Hence, there is a demand for reform in the UNSC.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Reforms in areas\n<ul>\n<li>The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform includes five key issues:\n<ul>\n<li>Categories of membership<\/li>\n<li>The veto held by the five permanent members<\/li>\n<li>Regional representation<\/li>\n<li>The size of an enlarged Council and its working methods<\/li>\n<li>The Security Council-General Assembly relationship<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Challenges faced\n<ul>\n<li>Resistance from Current Permanent Members (P5)<\/li>\n<li>Lack of Consensus among Member States\n<ul>\n<li>Different countries have diverse interests, priorities, and visions for how the council should be reformed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Complexity of Reform Proposals\n<ul>\n<li>There are various proposals for reforming the UNSC, including those related to the expansion of permanent and non-permanent membership, the question of veto power, and regional representation.<\/li>\n<li>Finding a consensus on these complex issues requires diplomatic negotiation and compromise among member states.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Slow Pace of Negotiations\n<ul>\n<li>The process of UNSC reform has been characterized by slow progress and incremental changes.<\/li>\n<li>Negotiations within forums like the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) have often been protracted, with divergent views among member states impeding substantive reform efforts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>About\n<ul>\n<li>IGN is a series of discussions and negotiations among member states of the United Nations aimed at reforming the structure and functioning of the UNSC.<\/li>\n<li>The IGN process was initiated to address the perceived need for the expansion of the Security Council&#8217;s membership to better reflect contemporary geopolitical realities and to enhance its legitimacy and effectiveness.<\/li>\n<li>IGN was formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2008 as a platform for member states to engage in discussions and negotiations regarding the reform of the UNSC.<\/li>\n<li>However, the diplomatic impasse persists in part because member states have never agreed to negotiate on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Composition\n<ul>\n<li>The IGN is composed of several different international organisations, namely:\n<ul>\n<li>The African Union;<\/li>\n<li>The G4 nations (India, along with Brazil, Japan and Germany are pressing for a permanent seat in the reformed UNSC);<\/li>\n<li>The Uniting for Consensus Group (UfC), also known as the &#8220;Coffee Club&#8221;;<\/li>\n<li>The L.69 Group of Developing Countries;<\/li>\n<li>The Arab League; and<\/li>\n<li>The Caribbean Community (CARICOM).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Features\n<ul>\n<li>Each group represents a different set of positions vis-a-vis reforming the UNSC.<\/li>\n<li>The group&#8217;s conversations are considered &#8220;informal&#8221; in nature due to the lack of single text, and thus, UNGA rules of procedure do not apply.<\/li>\n<li>But in 2015, a framework document was agreed when it comes to the reform, which can be the basis for future talks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Q1)\u00a0What is the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)?<\/h3>\n<p>The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is the main governing body of the United Nations. It is a unique forum for multilateral discussion of international issues.<\/p>\n<h3>Q2) What is the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)?<\/h3>\n<p>The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is an intergovernmental organization that was established in 1973 in Chaguaramas, Trinidad. CARICOM is a political and economic union of 20 countries, including 15 member states and five associated states.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/how-long-will-5-members-override-188-nations-india-on-unsc-reform-9167230\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>How long will 5 members override 188 nations: India on UNSC reform<\/u><\/a><u> | <\/u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/ga\/screform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>United Nations<\/u><\/a><u> | <\/u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/india\/story\/india-calls-for-un-security-council-reforms-questions-dominance-of-5-members-2503618-2024-02-18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>India Today<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UNSC has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-39681","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","7":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39681\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}