PM Modi pitches for India's permanent seat in UNSC, says world's largest democracies must be included

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hosted leaders of the G4 nations during a special summit here and pitched for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms while terming it as an urgent task.

New York: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday pressed for United Nations Security Council​ (UNSC) reform within a "fixed time frame" in the current session of the UNGA, saying the world body reflects the mindset of a century "we left behind" and is not in tune with new concerns like terrorism and climate change.

In his opening remarks at the G4 meeting, PM Modi thanked his Japan counterpart Shinzo Abe and said, "Thank you for meeting this early on a Saturday, want to specially thank PM Abe who just arrived in the US." 

“I am delighted that we are meeting again as Heads of Government after ten years," PM Modi added.

Further stressing upon the much needed reforms to be introduced in the UNSC, PM Modi said, "We live in a fundamentally different world from the time the UN was born." 

“Reform of security council within a fixed time frame has become an urgent and important task,” PM Modi added.

Hosting a Summit of leaders of Germany, Japan and Brazil under the G4 format here, PM Modi further said that the UNSC "must include the world's largest democracies, major locomotives of the global economy, and voices from all the major continents" to carry "greater credibility and legitimacy".

It will make it more representative and effective in addressing the challenges of the 21st century, he said at the Summit meeting with Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the first since 2004.

Modi noted that "some movement" had been witnessed recently in the decades-old endeavour when the UNGA took the "significant step" to commence text-based negotiations on the reforms but said it has to be taken to its logical conclusion during the current 70th session of the global body.

"Our institutions, approaches, and often mindsets, reflect the wisdom of the century we have left behind, not the century we live in. This is especially true of the United Nations Security Council," the Prime Minister said.

"The reform of the Security Council within a fixed time frame has become an urgent and important task," he said, while talking about the modern age challenges like trends in demography, urbanization and migrations.

"Climate change and terrorism are new concerns. Cyber and Space are entirely new frontiers of opportunities and challenges, he said.

G4 is a grouping which has been jointly pushing for reform of the UN Security Council to make it broad-based by including them as permanent members.

After PM Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff​, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe expressed their views on UNSC reforms. 

Shortly after the G4 Summit between India, Brazil, Germany and Japan ended a joint statement was issued in which the G4 leaders stressed that "a more representative, legitimate and effective security council is needed more than ever to address the global conflicts and crises, which had spiraled in recent years."  

"Strongly emphasized that process underway in UN to bring about the reform of the Security Council should be conducted given its urgency, in a fixed time frame," as per the Joint Press Statement being released.  

Standing together for the future. G-4 leaders issue Jt. Press Statement after the Summit in NY http://t.co/oM94Ggm60g pic.twitter.com/8t6ZAO5K0F — Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) September 26, 2015

While addressing the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, PM Modi had made a strong pitch for ushering in reforms in the Security Council “to maintain its credibility and legitimacy”.

"We must reform the United Nations including its Security Council so that it carries greater credibility and legitimacy and will be more representative and effective in achieving our goals," Modi had said.

India is making a strong bid for a permanent seat in an expanded Security Council, which currently has five permanent members -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Ten non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly.

The UN General Assembly has already adopted a negotiating document for long-pending reforms of the powerful wing of the world body and the US, one of the council's permanent members, has said it is committed to India's inclusion as a permanent member.