Editorial: Reform the global body

Time is ripe to make the UN more representative, inclusive, less bureaucratic and more transparent

An institution that was created to address the concerns of the post-World War realities today finds itself unequal to the task of meeting the challenges of the emerging global order. If there is any global body that qualifies to be the least representative and anachronistic in the face of changing geopolitical realities, it is the United Nations. The time is ripe for undertaking drastic reforms to make the UN more representative, inclusive, less bureaucratic, more transparent, decentralised and accountable. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightly called into question the effectiveness of the United Nations and its Security Council saying these global fora will be reduced to acting merely like a “talk shop” if they don’t address problems faced by the developing world and if they are unable to resolve conflicts. The PM used the G7 session in Japan’s Hiroshima to give a clarion call for reforming the global body to reflect the present-day realities. The reforms should focus on highlighting the concerns of the developing world and reflect the realities of the 21st century. Apart from the challenges on the diplomatic front, the global body now faces new challenges such as climate change, refugees and human rights issues. Contemporary global challenges such as geopolitical conflict, climate change, food and energy insecurity, present and future pandemics and wide-ranging inequalities cannot be addressed by an institution with an outmoded framework.

A major tension that underscores the UN reform is that of the gap in perspectives between the South and North arising from differing expectations and developmental realities. Placing sustainable development at the heart of the UN forms the core element of the reforms agenda because development is the UN’s best tool for preventing conflict and building a future of peace. The Ukraine war has further exposed the vulnerabilities of the global body. Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, has breached the UN Charter’s measures prohibiting the use of force and is widely reported to have committed atrocities in Ukraine. The global economic downturn and potential cuts in Western aid allotments in light of the Ukraine war are likely to impinge on UN budgets in the years ahead. It is time the UN dispelled the public perception that it is still under the grip of cold war-era paralysis. The UN’s ostrich mentality is summed up by the fact that the Security Council’s composition has been changed only once in several decades — back in 1965, the General Assembly expanded the Council from 11 to 15 members with the addition of four non-permanent seats. Making the UNSC more representative and inclusive will help in improving its efficiency and transparency. Being the largest democracy with growing influence across the regions and one of the fastest growing economies and a responsible nuclear power, India has a strong case to be a permanent member of the UNSC.

---