United Nations: India has said a majority of the UN members support the expansion of the permanent and non-permanent membership of the Security Council.
Participating in the informal meeting of the plenary on the intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said, “We have heard many refer to the need for respect for democratic expressions. Will those who are speaking of democracy be ready to accept this democratic expression listed in a GA (General Assembly) document?”
On the issue of ‘Categories of Membership’, a total of 113 Member States, out of 122 who submitted their positions in the Framework Document, support expansion in both of the existing categories, he added.
There are more than three billion of ‘we the people’ from Asia-Pacific seeking representation through two seats with a two-year term, while ‘people’ from no other region face such daunting challenges in seeking to be represented equitably
Syed Akbaruddin| India’s Permanent Representative at UN
Akbaruddin cited the example of the Asia-Pacific group, where 52 states are vying for two non-permanent seats, while in the West European & Other Group states there are 25 members in the pool vying for two seats.
“Put another way, there are more than three billion of ‘we the people’ from Asia-Pacific seeking representation through two seats with a two-year term, while ‘people’ from no other region face such daunting challenges in seeking to be represented equitably,” he said.
