Pakistan thwarts Indian efforts for UNSC P5 expansion

UNGA decides to roll over reforms until next session

Pakistan in a combined effort with like-minded group of countries, including Italy and Argentina, have thwarted expansion of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by inclusion of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan – Group of 4 (G4) – in the permanent members of the security council.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has decided to roll over the Security Council reforms until the next General Assembly session, which is considered as success for countries part of the Uniting for Consensus (UfC) against UNSC expansion.

The UfC, instead of G4’s call for expansion in permanent seats to 11, has been pushing for additional non-permanent seats with a longer term and possibility of re-election.

Reforms in the UNSC require a vote of two-third members of the total UNGA members (193), with the number not being achieved by any side so far.

Media has reported quoting a Foreign Office official that unlike the G4, the UfC has not been looking for reforms through two-third majority, but it has sought wider consensus to avoid any hiccup in the reform process.

The Foreign Office official has said that the duration of the term of non-permanent members could be three to five years after which they could get re-elected. Currently, the duration of the term for non-permanent members is two years.

On the other hand, Indian Charge d’Affaires at UN R Ravindra has said that Indian position was that the roll-over decision could not be reduced to a “mindless technical exercise”.

Pakistani Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador Munir Akram has said that deficiency in procedure had not caused the slowed pace of progress in the UNSC, but the “inflexibility” of a few individual states had.