India has expressed its disappointment in the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) decision to roll over the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform to its next session. Terming it as‘yet another wasted opportunity’, India’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said the process could well go on for another 75 years without achieving genuine progress.

Concluding Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) for the current 77th session, The UN General Assembly passed a draft oral decision to continue the intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform at the 78th session, that will commence in September 2023, an official release stated.

Kamboj emphasized that the roll-over decision of the IGN simply cannot be reduced to a mindless technical exercise. Highlighting development over the UN Security Council reforms, the Indian envoy added, “Even with these so-called changes, there has been no breakthrough whatsoever that may be described as progress. This state of affairs is clearly in the interest of those who seek a status quo, to keep this process frozen in repetitive cycles.”

The Ambassador maintained that as a responsible and constructive member of the United Nations, India will continue to engage in the process alongside reform-minded partners, and make continued efforts to move from repetitive speeches to text-based negotiations.

In her address, Kamboj praised the proactive and consultative approach demonstrated by the UNGA Co-Chairs on its functioning. She concluded, “However, for those of us who truly wish to fulfill our leaders’ commitment towards an early and comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council, looking beyond the IGN looks increasingly to us as the only viable pathway to a future UN Security Council that would better reflect the world of today.”