‘Need for reforms’: US on Musk’s post about India not having permanent UNSC seat
State Department official Vedant Patel has said the US supports reforms in the UN in general, including UNSC, “to make it reflective of the 21st-century world”
The US has said the United Nations in general, including its Security Council, “needs reforms” in reaction to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s statement regarding India’s lack of a permanent seat at the UNSC, news agency ANI has reported.
US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a press briefing on Wednesday (April 17) that the US supports such reforms “to make it reflective of the 21st-century world”, without commenting further.
Musk’s post
In January, Musk had said India not having a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was “absurd”. He had posted on X that nations with excess power did not want to relinquish it.
In the post, Musk said, “At some point, there needs to be a revision of the UN bodies. Problem is that those with excess power don’t want to give it up. India not having a permanent seat on the Security Council, despite being the most populous country on Earth, is absurd. Africa collectively should also have a permanent seat imo [in my opinion].”
“There is need for reform”
When asked about Musk’s statement, Patel said, “The President has spoken about this before in his remarks to the UN General Assembly, and the Secretary has alluded to this as well. We certainly support reforms to the UN institution, including the Security Council, to make it reflective of the 21st-century world that we live in. I don’t have any specifics to offer on what those steps are, but certainly, we recognise that there is a need for reform, but I will leave it at that for now.”
The UNSC is currently composed of 15 member states, including five permanent members with veto powers, and 10 non-permanent members, who are elected for two-year terms.
The five permanent members are China, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States. The non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
EAM’s statement
India has been seeking a permanent seat on the UNSC for long, to better represent the interests of the developing world. In recent years, India has gained considerable support from the international community on this subject.
In January, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said at an event, “With each passing year, the feeling in the world is that India should be there, and I can feel that support...The world does not give things easily and generously; sometimes you have to take them.”
The BJP, in its election manifesto, has vowed to pursue permanent membership for India in the UNSC. In the “Sankalp Patra”, the BJP stated, “We are committed to seeking permanent membership in the UN Security Council to elevate Bharat’s position in global decision-making.”
(With agency inputs)
