Global Policy Forum

Pitching for an expansion of United Nations Security Council, India has warned that efforts by vested interests to continue the current status quo there would adversely impact the reform process in the world body.

"Any true reform of the United Nations without a comprehensive reform of the Security Council would be like hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. It would have left untouched the present correlation of power which is a fetter on solution and a part of the problem," India's Ambassador to the United Nations Nirupam Sen told the General Assembly yesterday.

Warning against efforts by vested interests to continue the status quo, he said India reiterates its call for expansion of the Security Council and ensuring strong and effective role for the General Assembly.

India believes that the reform of the United Nations that establishes a "just, fair and equitable" balance of power and responsibilities among General Assembly, the Security Council and ECOSOC should be pursued in as ongoing and transparent process, he said. Decrying efforts by the 15-member council to encroach upon the area of competence of other organs of the world body, Sen emphasised the need to reinvest the 192-member assembly with the powers that it should enjoy under the charter.

Asking the Council to respect and maintain the balance between the principal organs as provided in the charter, he stressed that marginalisation of the assembly because of encroachment by the council into its jurisdiction has been matter of concern for the wider membership.

The powers of the assembly and council have been clearly laid down in the charter, Sen said highly critical of attempts to reduce the powers of the assembly over allocation of the budget currently decided by its budgetary committee and approved by the assembly.

In this context, he suggested revitalisation of the ad hoc working group on revitalisation of the General Assembly to consider measures that would enable it to play its mandated role in the issues of peace and security, development, management and progressive development of international law and its codification.

Speaking on the developmental agenda, Sen stressed the need to develop a rule based multilateral order, saying that the developing countries need it more than developed nations. A fundamental reform of the International Monetary, Financial and trading institutions is essential to underpin new and "truly" fair rules, he said, stressing the need for ensuring that such rules are not geared entirely, as they are now, to achieving the economic objectives of developed world.

Warning that liberalisation and getting the prices right would not be enough for global welfare, he said there are many countries, including in Africa, where institutions or infrastructure for private investment simply does not exist. Seeking corrective measures, Sen stressed the need for the industrialized nations to meet the promised target of giving 0.7 per of GDP as official development assistance.

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