NEW DELHI: In US’ San Francisco, Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk emphasised the need for a revision of UN structures, labelling India’s absence as a permanent member of the UN Security Council as ‘absurd.’ Musk, addressing the issue on Sunday, pointed out that powerful nations are reluctant to relinquish their dominance. He advocated for India, the world’s most populous country, to have a permanent seat on the Security Council and asserted that Africa collectively should also hold a permanent seat.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres echoed similar sentiments, expressing concern about Africa’s lack of a single permanent member on the Security Council and calling for institutions to reflect the present world, not that of 80 years ago. Guterres highlighted the need for global governance reforms and trust-building, mentioning the upcoming Summit of the Future in September as an opportunity for such considerations.
India, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for eight terms (16 years), is part of the G4 group advocating for reforms in the UNSC and seeking permanent membership. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised the growing global support for India’s permanent seat, acknowledging that sometimes such privileges need to be actively pursued.
In September 2023, Jaishankar had expressed concern that the UN’s reluctance to reform its structure could render it obsolete, prompting people to seek alternatives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also noted the outdated nature of the UN, pointing out that despite the significant increase in member countries since its establishment, the permanent members of the UNSC remain unchanged.
“When the UN was established, the world at that time was completely different from today. At that time there were 51 founding members in the UN. Today, the number of countries included in the UN is around 200. Despite this, the permanent members in UNSC are still the same,” he said.
At some point, there needs to be a revision of the UN bodies.
Problem is that those with excess power don’t want to give it up.
India not having a permanent seat on the Security Council, despite being the most populous country on Earth, is absurd.
Africa collectively should…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2024