Question : PERMANENT SEAT OF UNSC

(a) whether the Government is holding talks with several countries including African countries on the issue of permanent seat of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for India;

(b) if so, the names of the countries alongwith the outcome of the said talks;

(c) whether the Government offered humanitarian relief to the poor African countries to strengthen its vote bank for UNSC;

(d) if so, the details thereof;

(e) whether some countries have proposed conditional support;

(f) if so, the details thereof; and

(g) the details of the obstacles in India’s becoming a permanent member of UNSC and the efforts made by the Government to counter them?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SMT. PRENEET KAUR)

(a) & (b) India has been engaged with other UN Member States, including African countries, to build support for expansion of the UN Security Council and its candidature for permanent membership of an expanded Security Council. Many countries have endorsed India’s candidature for permanent membership of the Security Council.

(c) & (d) India has been in the vanguard of South-South cooperation. In this context, India has extended development assistance aimed at capacity building and institutional development and provided humanitarian relief to many Least Developed Countries (LDCs), including those in Africa. However, it must be emphasized that India’s development assistance or humanitarian relief efforts go back several decades and are not linked to its candidature for permanent membership of the Security Council.

(e) & (f) In general, the support proposed by various countries for India’s candidature has been unconditional.

(g) The formal process of UN Security Council expansion is complex and arduous. It requires adoption of a resolution by the UN General Assembly to suitably amend the UN Charter. Such a resolution would need the approval of at least 2/3rds of the UN’s 192 Member States. Thereafter, the amendment of the UN Charter needs to be ratified by at least 2/3rds of the UN Member States, including all five permanent members of the UNSC. India remains fully engaged including through the G-4 (India, Brazil, Germany and Japan) to work for the reform of the UN including the expansion of the Security Council.