Flashback 2015: India-led efforts give boost to UNSC reforms in 2015

United Nations, Dec 25: The long-pending UN Security Council reform process got a much-needed breakthrough after efforts led by India resulted in the adoption of text-based negotiations in 2015, a year that also saw the world body grappling with the emergence of Islamic State, climate change and refugee crisis.

India's was the strongest voice among the UN membership that called for text-based negotiations to move the snail-paced UNSC reform process forward to reflect the realities of the 21st century.

Unrelenting diplomatic efforts by India and other nations resulted in a significant achievement when the General Assembly adopted by consensus in September a negotiating text that contained positions of UN member states on Security Council reforms and how the powerful 15-nation body should be expanded in its permanent and non-permanent categories.

India termed as "historic" and "path-breaking" the adoption of the document, saying the decision put the inter-governmental process formally on an "irreversible text-based negotiations path" and changed the "dynamics" of the negotiations on achieving UNSC reforms.

The adoption of the text also gave a boost to India's bid for a permanent seat in the revamped Council. India was among the first to seek a conclusion of the reform process by the 70th anniversary of the United Nations.

Underscoring that the process to expand the Council "cannot be seen to be an exercise ad infinitum", India had said a results-based timeline is crucial to achieve a concrete outcome and felt that the 70th anniversary of the UN, being commemorated this year, is an appropriate milestone to propel the reform process, which should be completed within the next one year. ]

The 70th anniversary of the UN also provided an opportune platform for the world leaders to come together and hammer out solutions to tackle growing global challenges of terrorism, sustainable development and climate change.

The ambitious 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda that aims to end poverty, hunger and assure gender equally and build a life of dignity for all over the next 15 years was adopted in the presence of world leaders including Pope Francis and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi also made a strong for "climate justice" in his address to world leaders at the high-level sustainable development summit in September as he underlined the need for common but differentiated responsibility in tackling climate change and for assuring equity for developing countries, who he said should not be condemned for their developmental activities.

Modi's call for climate justice formed the bedrock for India's negotiations at the crucial Climate Change Summit in Paris earlier this month when after two weeks of intensive negotiations.

PTI