UN chief Guterres calls Security Council reform ‘essential’, warns against clinging to privileges – Firstpost

As India presses its long-standing claim for a permanent seat at the high table of global decision-making, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has once again stressed the urgent need to reform the UN Security Council, calling the process not just “important” but “essential”.

“Reforming the Security Council is not just essential – it is essential. Those who try to cling to privileges currently risk paying the charge tomorrow. We must all be bold enough to change. The world is not waiting. Neither should we,” Guterres remarked in a post on X.

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His remarks come amid growing criticism that the Security Council no longer reflects present-day geopolitical realities.

How the Security Council works

The UN Security Council currently consists of five permanent members — the United States, China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom — each of which holds veto power over key resolutions. Alongside them are 10 non-permanent members, elected for two-year terms, without veto rights.

This structure, largely unchanged since 1945, has increasingly been questioned by emerging powers and developing nations.

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India’s long-standing push for permanent membership

India is not a permanent member of the council, but it has consistently campaigned for inclusion in a reformed and expanded UNSC. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has remarked that securing permanent membership remains one of India’s highest foreign policy priorities.

Addressing Parliament in 2024, Jaishankar said India “strongly believes that it has all the credentials to be a permanent member of a reformed and expanded UNSC that reflects contemporary global realities”.

UN leadership acknowledges India’s role

Guterres, along with UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, has repeatedly highlighted India’s importance within the UN system. Dujarric has described India as a “very vital part of the UN system”, praising its commitment to multilateralism and its close engagement with the UN leadership.

“India is a very major part of the UN system. They are a great supporter of multilateralism… India is an vital voice within the UN system,” Dujarric said last year.

Global backing and recent role

Several major powers, including Russia, the US, France and the UK, have in the past expressed support for India’s bid for a permanent seat on the Security Council. India most recently served as a non-permanent member from 2021 to 2022 and has continued to advocate reforms aimed at making the council more representative, effective and aligned with today’s global balance of power.

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