BRIC nations urge for U.N. reforms to make it more efficient

Yekatarinburg (Russia), May 16 : Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC), the world's emerging and rapidly growing economies, have urged for reforming the United Nations to make it more efficient to deal with the emerging global challenges.

The Ministers reaffirmed the need for comprehensive reforms of United Nations during the BRIC Foreign Ministers' meet on Friday at Yekatarinburg.

The meeting which is the first stand alone meet of foreign ministers of BRIC nations constituting about half of the world's population, was aimed at enhancing strategic ties between the member countries.

The ministers emphasised for the implementation of U.N. Global Counter Terrorism Strategy, which aims at strengthening the role of the United Nations in combating terrorism and to ensure the respect of human rights while countering terrorism.

Calling for strengthening of multilateralism, the ministers reiterated that today's work order should be based on the rule of international law.

The BRIC meeting also assumes importance in view of the fact that a Goldman Sachs analysis presaged a fundamental shift in the global balance of power, with the four countries together having a greater economic weight than the traditional industrial powers of the Group of Seven by the year 2032, just two decades hence.

The next BRIC meet is scheduled to take place in New Delhi in 2009. By Naveen Kapoor

ANI