India Opposes Religion-Based Representation in UN Security Council Reforms

India has rejected proposals to introduce religion as a basis for representation in the reformed UN Security Council (UNSC), asserting that such criteria contradict the principle of regional representation. India and the G4 nations advocate for increased UNSC membership, emphasizing both permanent and non-permanent expansion to reflect current global realities.

In a firm stand, India has rejected proposals suggesting religion as a basis for representation in a reformed United Nations Security Council (UNSC), calling it contradictory to the established principle of regional representation.

Addressing the Inter-Governmental Negotiations on UNSC reforms, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, P Harish, asserted that resisting text-based negotiations hinders progress. The G4 nations—Brazil, Germany, Japan, and India—upheld that regional representation is a time-tested UN practice. They emphasized that current UNSC membership fails to reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.

Outlining their vision for reform, the G4 proposed increasing UNSC membership from 15 to 25 or 26, including 11 permanent seats. The group stressed the importance of text-based negotiations for implementing meaningful reforms, inviting further models to facilitate discussions, and highlighting the need for democratic decision-making by the General Assembly.

(With inputs from agencies.)