India has made a strong call to reform the United Na
tions Security Council, stressing that the process to expand the powerful body cannot goon infinitely and a results-based timeline is crucial to achieve a concrete outcome.
"The process of bringing about UNSC reforms cannot be seen to be an exercise ad infinitum. A results-based timeline is imperative, and those who ask for notimposing artificial timelines may be advised to desist from inflicting artificial delays on this process," India's Ambassador to the UN Asoke Kumar Mukerji said on the Annual Report of the UN Security Council at the General Assembly on Thursday.
With the 70th anniversary of the United Nations scheduled to be commemorated in 2015 development agenda, Mukerji said it is important that the nations deliver on the most important unfinished mandates which is early reform of the Security Council.
"Indeed, while all other mandates...have been fulfilled or remain work in progress, it is only this which remains 'work without any progress', still stuck where it was in 2005. This is an unacceptable interpretation of the words 'early reform' unanimously argued to by all members of the United Nations eight years ago," he said.
Of the nearly 90 countries that had spoken at a previous General Assembly session on UNSC reforms, 58 nations had asked for expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership.
Another 26 member states had explicitly asked for concrete outcomes by 2015 while 23 delegations supported commencing text-based negotiations.
Mukerji said for a more credible, legitimate and representative Council, a comprehensive reform, including expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories, and improvement in its working methods, is essential.
"I urge you to act on this collective call made by such a large number of states from this very podium. You have the full support of the overwhelming majority of this assembly to steer your own initiative towards its logical culmination and commence the Inter-Governmental Negotiations immediately on the basis of a text," he said.
On the issue of counter-terrorism, Mukerji noted that the Council has endorsed a policy of "zero tolerance" towards terrorism, which implies that "no cause or grievance", including so called root causes, can be used to justify terrorism.
He extended India strong support towards global efforts to strengthen international and regional cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
Referring to the issue of peacekeeping, Mukerji said nations should ensure that threats to peacekeepers from non-government forces or militias are deterred. He lamented that while the Security Council has asked for apprehending those responsible for killing UN peacekeepers, "not much has happened to ensure this so far."
"We call for visible steps to be taken by the Council to prosecute and bring to justice those who attack peacekeepers within a determined time frame. The Council has to use its authority to effectively deter non-government forces or militias, which threaten both the UN peacekeepers, and, as importantly, the civilians who these peacekeepers are protecting," he added.
Mukerji said that it is imperative to ensure immunity of UN peacekeepers from prosecutions in order to ensure that they discharge their duty smoothly. UN India further expressed full support to an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process of peace and reconciliation.
Image: India's Ambassador to the UN Asoke Kumar Mukerji
Photograph Courtesy: United Nations
