India's push for UN Security Council reforms suffers setback

India along with the G4 nations said it is "unfortunate" that momentum could not build up over the issue in the current session.

Brazil's envoy to the UN Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, speaking on behalf of the G4 groups of Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan, lamented that the UN had not been able to push forward and achieve success in implementing the long-pending reform of the 15-nation powerful Council.

"There was huge expectation that time had arrived for us to move into concrete negotiations, It is unfortunate that the 70th anniversary of the UN was not able to build up momentum with a view to reaching an agreement on this important item," Patriota said in the General Assembly here yesterday.

India has been pushing for completing reforms of the UN Security Council in the 70th session of the General Assembly, which will end in September this year.

Taking consensus action yesterday, the General Assembly adopted an oral decision paving the way for Member States to continue discussions on reforming the Security Council during its 71st session, which will commence in September.

In giving effect to that "technical rollover", the Assembly reaffirmed its central role on the issue of Security Council reform, known formally as "the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council".

Speaking for the G4, the Brazilian envoy described Security Council reform as one of the most pressing issues still pending on the General Assembly's agenda. It was crucial that Member States engage in real, text-based negotiations if the process was to have any meaning, he said.