External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has called for urgent reforms to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), saying that developing countries need a stronger voice in global decision-making.
Jaishankar led a meeting on UNSC reform along with Saint Lucia’s counterpart Alva Baptiste. During the discussion, he highlighted the concerns of countries in the Global South, which he said are often among those most affected by major changes taking place around the world.
According to Jaishankar, developing nations face the effects of conflicts, economic disruptions, climate-related challenges and other global crises. However, many of these countries feel that the existing international system does not adequately address their concerns.
He argued that continued delays in reforming the Security Council could make existing problems more difficult to resolve. He also pointed to concerns about what developing countries see as an unequal system of global decision-making.
Jaishankar stressed that the international community needs to make progress on reforming the UNSC rather than continuing discussions without concrete changes. He called on groups representing developing countries to maintain pressure for meaningful reforms.
Two important groups discussed in this context are the L.69 Group and the C-10.
The L.69 Group is a coalition of developing countries that supports reform of the UN Security Council. Its members have called for changes that would give developing and underrepresented countries a greater role in the Council.
The C-10, meanwhile, represents 10 African Union countries working together on Security Council reform. The group supports the Common African Position, which seeks greater African representation in the UNSC.
Both groups have been involved in international discussions aimed at making the Security Council more representative of the current global community.
The UNSC currently has 15 members, including five permanent members with veto power. Supporters of reform have argued that the Council’s structure should better reflect today’s geopolitical and economic realities.
Jaishankar’s latest comments come as countries continue discussions about how the UN system should respond to conflicts and other threats to international peace and security. He said the L.69 Group and C-10 should continue working together to push the reform process forward.
The debate over UNSC reform has continued for years, with countries disagreeing over issues such as permanent membership, regional representation and the use of veto powers. Any major change would require broad agreement among UN member states.
For developing countries, the reform discussion remains closely linked to their demand for greater representation in institutions that make decisions affecting international peace, security and global governance.