India renews UNSC reform push, slams 'disproportionate' veto use says power must not be 'an instrument of narrow political expediency'

India on Monday (Oct 26) renewed its push for comprehensive United Nations Security Council reform, telling the world body that the veto held by the five permanent members must not be reduced to a tool of narrow political expediency. Delivering India's statement, the country's Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, stressed that the veto carries an immense burden of responsibility that requires restraint, especially on matters of global security.

"India has always maintained that the veto, which is right now a prerogative only of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, is a responsibility that must be exercised with great restraint, especially on matters bearing upon the maintenance of international peace and security. It should not be an instrument of narrow political expediency," Parvathaneni said.

India flags stark record of Veto

Citing the historical trajectory of the veto's usage, the Indian envoy highlighted how its disproportionate exercise by a handful of members has undermined the credibility of the Council, adding that recent accountability mechanisms have failed to deter its frequent use.

"The record of the Veto is stark. Over the life of this Organisation, the veto has been exercised 331 times on around 200 resolutions. We also note that two out of the five permanent members have not exercised a veto for over three and a half decades, and most of the vetos or threats of vetos have emanated from only three of the P5. The Veto Initiative of 2022 was seen as a harbinger of change, by mandating a UNGA debate every time a veto is cast, to fix accountability. However, the actual record of the large number of vetos cast since the UNGAR 76/262 was adopted tells a contrary story," the ambassador remarked.

Underlining that addressing the veto in isolation is ineffective, he pressed for the urgent launch of text-based negotiations covering all critical reform clusters simultaneously. "Limiting the veto cannot be separated from the questions of categories of membership, regional representation, size and working methods. We need to move forward on all five clusters together. India reiterates its call for a comprehensive approach towards Security Council reforms. The starting point is early commencement of text-based negotiations, with clearly defined timelines and milestones. Addressing the veto in isolation does not change the decision-making dynamic of the P5," he said.

The hidden veto

The ambassador also brought attention to less visible blocking mechanisms within the council, noting that procedural consensus rules often act as hidden vetoes.

"The veto is not only what is cast in the open. There is also the 'effective or de facto veto' that every Council member, elected and non-elected, holds over presidential statements, press statements and the decisions of sanctions committees, where the unwritten rule of consensus allows a single member to hold or block a proposal, most often without explanation," Parvathaneni Harish asserted.

India calls for equal rights for all permanent members

Reaffirming India's alignment with the Common African Position, he maintained that true fairness necessitates equal responsibilities and powers for all permanent members in an expanded Council, rejecting proposals for secondary tiers of permanent seats.

"We reiterate that as long as the veto exists, it must be held by all permanent members of a reformed Council. Fairness and justice demand that all permanent members enjoy the same rights and responsibilities. A new category of permanent members, with or without the veto, would only further complicate a discussion that is already difficult, and would further entrench the very inequity we are seeking to correct. Periodic elections and the concept of permanency are fundamentally contradictory," Parvathaneni affirmed.