India has been at the forefront of years-long efforts to achieve reform of the Security Council. Screengrab: @IndiaUNGeneva
India opposes UN Security Council reform without veto rights for new permanent members
India says creating a new category of permanent members without veto powers would undermine equality in a reformed UN Security Council
India has opposed any reform of the UN Security Council that would create a new category of permanent members without veto powers, arguing that such a move would leave the existing five permanent members in control of decisions. India said new members without the same rights would effectively be placed in a “second-class” position.
China, France, Russia, the UK and the US are the five permanent members of the 15-nation Security Council and enjoy veto powers. The Council also has 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
India’s stand on veto
India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said on Monday (October 26) that all permanent members of a reformed Council must have veto rights for as long as the provision remains in place. He said equal rights and responsibilities were necessary to ensure fairness.
"India's position on the veto is principled and well known... We reiterate that as long as the veto exists, it must be held by all permanent members of a reformed Council," he said.
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Parvathaneni made the remarks during an Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) plenary of the UN General Assembly on the ‘Cluster Debate on the Question of the Veto’.
He said adding permanent members without veto powers would not alter the way the Council makes decisions, as the existing five powers would continue to hold their current authority.
Parvathaneni said a reform that expands the Council by "creating another category of long-term members without the veto effectively makes them 'second-class' members and would not change the decision-making dynamic of the P5".
Pushes for broader Security Council reform
India has consistently called for expanding both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, warning that reform efforts would border on "failure" if they focused solely on increasing the number of non-permanent members.
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New Delhi has been at the forefront of years-long efforts to achieve reform of the Security Council, saying the body, founded in 1945, is not fit for purpose in the 21st century and does not reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.
India has consistently underscored that it rightly deserves a permanent seat at the horseshoe table.
Seeks non-permanent seat for 2028-29
India is also seeking a non-permanent seat for the 2028-29 term. Elections for the term are scheduled for June next year, when India and Tajikistan will contest the sole seat allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group.
India last served on the Council in 2021-22, its eighth term, having previously held seats in 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92 and 2011-12.
(With agency inputs)