India Calls for UN Security Council Reform at G20

Rio De Janeiro (Brazil), Feb 22 (PTI) Underlining that the current multilateral governance architecture is "outdated", India at a G20 ministerial meeting here on Thursday called for comprehensive UN reforms, including the UN Security Council.

Brazil assumed the G20 Presidency from India on December 1, 2023, and the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (FMM) here is the first ministerial meeting under the Brazilian Presidency that was inaugurated here on Wednesday.

In a post on X, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that during a session of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on ‘Global Governance Reform', he emphasised that the "current multilateral governance architecture is outdated, and comprehensive multilateral reforms, through effective, result-oriented, time-bound process, are required".

"Reformed multilateralism would have 4 elements: Making international financial institutions more representative & effective; Improving working methods of IOs; Multilateral system to work for common cause, not individual interests; and Comprehensive UN reforms, including the UNSC," he said.

India has been at the forefront of efforts at the United Nations to push for an urgent long-pending reform of the Security Council, emphasising that it rightly deserves a place at the UN high table as a permanent member.

India also emphasised the need to address geopolitical issues constructively and find common ground.

Earlier during a session on Wednesday titled, 'G20's role in dealing with ongoing international tensions', Muraleedharan touched upon multiple conflict points and advocated India's position on them.

Representing India at the FMM, Muraleedharan said, that on the Russia-Ukraine war, India called for “an urgent return to dialogue and diplomacy,” while on the Israel-Palestine conflict, “India believes in a two-State solution on the Israel-Palestine issue.”

Asserting that India condemns terrorism in all its forms, he said, “We must not allow conflict in West Asia to spread any wider.”

Referring to the attacks on marine vessels in the Red Sea, he emphasised the need for utmost security on high seas and also that the safety of sea lanes of communication “is critical.”

Muraleedharan also drew attention to the need to address “geopolitical issues constructively and find common ground.”

Reiterating India's stand, he also reminded the gathering of foreign ministers that the G20 as an economic forum should focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and climate change.

He declared India's “steadfast support” to Brazil during its Presidency and said, the FMM's theme 'Building a Just World & a Sustainable Planet' resonates well with 'One Earth One Family One Future' propagated by India.

The G20 Foreign Ministers have been meeting as a group since 2012, and the FMM in Rio would be its 10th meeting. Over the years, the G20 FMM has grown in importance and has become a valuable forum for discussions on a range of international issues and related matters of shared concern among G20 Members.

According to media reports, Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira called for reforms of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions while criticising their inability to prevent global conflicts, as his country kicked off its presidency of the Group of 20 nations.

During his opening remarks for the G20 meeting here, Mauro Vieira told fellow foreign ministers that the UN Security Council has been unable to prevent or halt conflicts such as those playing out in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.

He pointed out that multilateral institutions are not adequately equipped to deal with current challenges, as demonstrated by the unacceptable paralysis of the Security Council regarding the ongoing conflicts.