'It Cannot Be A Summit Of Past': India Calls For UNSC Reforms At Preparatory Meeting

India has reiterated the need for reforms in the UNSC at the Summit of the Future (SOTF) Preparatory Ministerial Meeting and said that answers must be provided in a "fixed time frame".

India has reiterated the need for reforms in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

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India has again called for reforms in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by saying that the future cannot be written in ink from 1945 "which created the UNSC". In an official statement at the Summit of the Future (SOTF) Preparatory Ministerial Meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that the SOTF must provide answers on Security Council reforms in a fixed time frame, adding that it cannot be a "Summit of the Past".

"The architecture of Global governance in 2025 for the future cannot be written in ink from 1945-which created the UN Security Council-to the victor belong the spoils - and, which has long dried up SOTF must provide answers on Security Council reforms in a fixed time frame," the MEA statement read.

"The Summit of the Future will be judged on its delivery of reformed multilateralism. It cannot be a Summit of the Past," it added.

According to the UN media release, the ministerial meeting is being done to prepare for the September 2024 Summit of the Future, which marks a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance global cooperation to tackle critical challenges, address gaps in global governance, reaffirm existing commitments, including to the SDGs and the United Nations Charter, and make a multilateral system better positioned to positively impact people's lives. 

The MEA stated that the UN story is mixed and that the future "must not repeat the failures of the post. Let us envisage a tomorrow that is inclusive and forward looking".

 

G20 India Presidency: MEA Highlights 5 Key Areas For Scope For SOTF

In the statement, MEA mentioned the five chapters that have been identified for the Scope of the Summit of the Future during the G20 presidency. It said that India ensured the concerns of the Global South were placed in the G20 Agenda The New Delhi Leaders Declaration.

"On Sustainable Development & Financing for Development, we are looking at an ambitious Green Development Pact with an aim to double Climate Finance, On International Peace and Security, it calls on all states to uphold principles of international law, including respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty in the spirit of One Earth, One Family and One Future," it said.

"On Science, Technology and Innovation and Digital Cooperation, we visualise a comprehensive framework for the development, deployment and governance of Systems of Digital Public Infrastructure, On Youth and Future Generations, it places young people at the heart of the G20 agenda, India's One Future Alliance stands as a testament here," the statement further read.

The MEA said, "On Transforming Global Governance. An unprecedented transformation was Africa's permanent place in the G20 Where there is political will, multilateralism will reform", adding that India is confident that the G20 Leaders Declaration will be furthered by the SOTF.

 India Pushes For Minimising Digital Divide

The MEA welcomed SOTF's aim to deliver a Global Digital Compact to minimise any digital divide. It said that India sees more than 10 billion digital transactions a month.

"We see Digital Infrastructure as Public, a Global Good, and a Global Common! We have a lot to offer," the release said.

Calling for an engagement based on the principle of proportional representation to be "democratic and equitable", it said that majority of India's population is young and "SOTFs Declaration on Future Generation offers opportunity for meaningful youth engagement, including in the UN system".

India also emphasised the need for credible multilateralism, stating that the COVID pandemic and the Ukraine conflict between them are upending "our multilateral system".

"Climate finance, double standards on countering terrorism and myopic selectivity in SDG priorities need fixing. Increase stake-holder ship and also enhance the effectiveness and credibility of multilateralism so that people do not lose hope," it said.