‘Keeping India out of the UNSC will undermine its credibility’, says S Jaishankar
“The country has demonstrated its ‘capability of helping’ other nations through its G20 presidency,” EAM.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said keeping India out of the permanent membership of the UNSC will question the credibility of the international organization. “The country has demonstrated its ‘capability of helping’ other nations through its G20 presidency,” he added.
Jaishankar said that India assumed the G20 presidency at a time when the country started mattering more to the world, and today the country is recognized as essential to the global workplace and the global talent pool. He was speaking at an event called “G20 Presidency and its Global Impact” at Delhi University’s Hindu College.
“There is not an equal representation in UNSC as there is no African country, Latin America and the world’s largest country in terms of population and the fifth-largest economy cannot be kept out of this, and if it is kept out, there will be questions raised on the credibility of the United Nations,” Jaishankar said. “BRICS first time said that UNSC memberships should change. History is on our side, the UN will change. Forces who are blocking it will keep trying but eventually, it will happen,” he added.
External Affairs Minister said the UN was formed in 1940 during the Second World War and had only 50 member countries at the time. However, the number of members now has increased by 4 times with about 200 countries as members.
“The present United Nations architecture was formed in the 1940s. There were 50 member countries of the UN back then, now there are more than 200 countries. So there will be changes,” he said.
He compared the five permanent members, who are vested with veto power, with passengers on the first row of a bus and not leaving their places.
India has assumed the G20 presidency
“India has assumed the G20 presidency at a time when India is starting to matter more and more to the world. This is partly because of our economic achievements as we are now the fifth economy in the world,” he said. India, today, is recognized as an essential global workplace and the global talent pool, he added.
India officially assumed the group’s chairmanship on December 1, 2022, and will continue to do so through November 30, 2023. The theme for India’s G20 Presidency this year is “ Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, loosely translated to ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.
The G20 summit will be hosted in Delhi on September 9 and 10, which will be a culmination of all G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among the ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.
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