New Delhi: India's former ambassador to the United States, Meera Shankar says there is an urgent need to reform United Nations to ensure the world body is more effective and representative of contemporary realities.
"The world today faces multiple crises and ongoing conflicts. The UN, which reflects the world as it emerged after the Second World War, has proved inadequate for meeting these challenges. There is an urgent need for reform of the UN to make it both more representative of contemporary realities and more effective. Such reforms would have to include the Security Council," Shankar said in an exclusive interview to ETV Bharat on Monday.
Her comments echo ones reflected during the recent Quad summit in United States attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the leaders of Japan and Australia. Following the summit, the Quad leaders called for urgent reforms to the UNSC to make it more representative and accountable, and also called for its expansion to include representation from more countries.
After the summit, the Quad leaders called for expanded permanent membership to include representation from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
“We will reform the UN Security Council, recognizing the urgent need to make it more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council,” the Quad leaders joint statement read.
The US also supported the call for India's bid for permanent membership in the UNSC. According to the joint fact sheet, released by the white house after the meeting, President Biden shared with Prime Minister Modi that the United States supports initiatives to reform global institutions to reflect India’s important voice, including permanent membership for India in a reformed UN Security Council.
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