{"id":84804,"date":"2026-09-14T18:28:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T12:58:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=84804"},"modified":"2026-09-14T18:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T13:01:07","slug":"unsc-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/14-09-2026\/unsc-reforms","title":{"rendered":"United Nations Chief Backs Demand for Expansion of Security Council"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ IR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres backed the demand from the Global South to expand the UN Security Council at the BRICS Summit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Need for the Reforms in the UNSC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Non-representative Council membership: <\/strong>When the UN was founded in<strong> 1945, <\/strong>the Council consisted of <strong>11 members out of 51 members <\/strong>of UN; around <strong>22%.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Today, there are 193 member-states of the UN, and only 15 members of the Council \u2014 <strong>fewer than 8%.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inability to Address Conflicts: <\/strong>The current composition of the council has an <strong>inability to address critical conflicts<\/strong> and maintain international peace and security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Changes in World Order:<\/strong> The world has undergone significant<strong> changes since 1945 <\/strong>and the<strong> new realities need to be reflected<\/strong> in the permanent membership.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Veto Power: <\/strong>Currently, <strong>only the five permanent members <\/strong>hold veto powers and through its use have stalled action in the Council to address global challenges and conflicts such as in Ukraine and Gaza.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The remaining 10 nations in the Council are elected to sit as non-permanent members for two-year terms and <strong>do not have veto powers.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Im-balance of Power:<\/strong> The composition of the Council also gives undue weightage to the balance of power of those days.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Europe, accounting for <strong>5%<\/strong> of the world\u2019s population, controls <strong>33%<\/strong> of the seats in any given year (and that does not count Russia, another European power).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Legitimacy:<\/strong> The disproportionate power held by the five permanent members, particularly their veto power <strong>lead to a perception of unfairness and lack of legitimacy.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>United Nations Security Council (UNSC)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is one of the <strong>UN\u2019s six main organs<\/strong> and is aimed at maintaining international peace and security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It held its first session on <strong>17th January 1946<\/strong> in Westminster, London.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Headquarters:<\/strong> New York City.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Membership: <\/strong>The Council is composed of 15 Members.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Five Permanent members with veto power: <\/strong>China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ten Non Permanent members<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Election of Non Permanent members<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Each year the <strong>General Assembly elects five non-permanent members<\/strong> (out of 10 in total) for a <strong>two-year term.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis as follows:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Five for African and Asian States;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One for the Eastern European States;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two for the Latin American and Caribbean States;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two for Western European and other States.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To be elected to the Council, candidate countries need a <strong>two-thirds majority<\/strong> of ballots of the Member States that are present and voting in the Assembly.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The elections were held with each of the<strong> 193 member states casting its vote in a secret ballot.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More than 50 United Nations Member States have never been Members of the Security Council.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>India<\/strong> last sat at the UN high table as a non-permanent member in <strong>2021-22.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Position for a Permanent Seat<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Demographic Weight: <\/strong>India, as the world\u2019s largest democracy, represents one-sixth of its total population.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India also supports greater representation for <strong>Africa, Latin America and other developing regions<\/strong>, linking UNSC reform with a stronger voice for the Global South.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Powerhouse:<\/strong> India ranks among the<strong> top three<\/strong> in purchasing power parity, with estimates placing its 2026 GDP PPP around<strong> $20 trillion.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It influences global trade flows, technology supply chains, energy markets, and developmental finance.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Military advancement:<\/strong> India\u2019s armed forces are among the world\u2019s largest, and it is among the top defence spenders, with its 2026 defence budget reaching a record <strong>$86 billion.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is currently among the few countries with a credible <strong>nuclear triad<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Contribution to international peace and security:<\/strong> Its troop contribution has been one of the largest since <strong>1948<\/strong>, despite suffering one of the highest numbers of fatalities among UN peacekeeping contributors.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This reflects India\u2019s commitment to <strong>multilateralism<\/strong> and its willingness to support UN mandates at all costs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Voice of the Global South:<\/strong> India demonstrated its leadership in the<strong> International Solar Alliance, Global Biofuels Alliance, G20 presidency, <\/strong>and the<strong> AI Impact Summit in the Global South<\/strong> etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>On maritime security<\/strong>, its role in the Indian Ocean shows a strong commitment to freedom of navigation and adherence to the <strong>UN Convention on the Law of the Sea<\/strong> and its institutions, such as the <strong>International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>BRICS Support: The BRICS New Delhi Declaration<\/strong> called for comprehensive UN reform, including reform of the Security Council, to make it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>China and Russia<\/strong>, both permanent members of the UNSC, reiterated support for the aspirations of <strong>India and Brazil<\/strong> to play a greater role in the UN, including the Security Council.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges to Reform<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Complex Amendment Process:<\/strong> Any reform requires approval by two-thirds of the UN General Assembly and ratification by all five permanent members. This makes institutional reform extremely difficult.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coffee Club:<\/strong><strong>Uniting for Consensus (UfC)<\/strong> or Coffee Club, is a movement that developed in the 1990s in opposition to the possible expansion of permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Under the leadership of Italy,<\/strong> it aims to counter the bids for permanent seats proposed by <strong>G4 nations (Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Question of veto for new members: <\/strong>There is no consensus on whether an expanded permanent membership should also receive veto rights.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India should continue advocating for a more representative and inclusive multilateral system that gives developing countries a meaningful role in global decision-making.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The existing \u201c<strong>pyramid of privilege\u201d <\/strong>should be transformed into a <strong>\u201cplatform of partnership\u201d<\/strong>, where every country has a voice and a stake in shaping global rules and institutions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/reflect-world-of-today-un-chief-antonio-guterres-backs-pm-modis-call-to-reform-unsc-10876225\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres backed the demand from the Global South to expand the UN Security Council at the BRICS Summit. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Need for the Reforms in the UNSC <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Non-representative Council membership: When the UN was founded in 1945, the Council consisted of 11 members out of 51 members of UN; around 22%. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Today, there are 193 member-states of the UN, and only 15 members of the Council \u2014 fewer than 8%.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/14-09-2026\/unsc-reforms\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84804"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84806,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84804\/revisions\/84806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}