G4 summit: PM Modi calls for UNSC reforms within fixed time frame

The meeting was scheduled with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. Ignoring suggestions from some quarters that New Delhi should temper its campaign and let the membership of the club come when it becomes impossible to ignore the world’s third largest economy, the Prime Minister said “reform of the security council within a fixed time frame has become an urgent and important task”. The security councils should include world’s biggest democracies, major locomotives of the global economy, and voice from all the major countries. It will make it more representative and effective in addressing the challenges of the 21st century, he said at the summit – the first of its kind since 2004.

“Today, in the 70th year of the existence of the United Nations, there are expectations from all of us that through our wisdom, experience, generosity and expertise we will overcome these challenges”, he said.

“A number of members, including permanent members, have voiced strong disagreements”.

“Their joint declaration has identified terrorism as a profound threat to global peace and security…They have pointed out “the threat posed by entities such as Al Qaeda and its affiliates, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company, and the Haqqani Network, and other regional groups that seek to undermine stability in South Asia”, the editorial noted.

Modi began his address by invoking “modern hero” Mahatma Gandhi, saying he had said that “we should think about even that future world which we will not be able to see”.

“We live in a digital age”. He also said that is the historical global opportunity. The 69th Session of the General Assembly has taken a significant step forward to commence text-based negotiations.However, this is just the first step.

India is the only option from Asia, especially in the eyes of the United States, for permanent membership at the UN Security Council “no matter how unfortunate this is for Pakistan”, a Pakistani daily said on Friday.

Rousseff also underlined the need for urgent reform of the world body.

“We need reform of Security Council which reflects distribution of power in the world”, Merkel said at G4 summit.

“I expect the developed countries to honor their financial commitments for development and climate change without in any way putting the both under the same head”, the Prime Minister said.

The Council has been expanded only once between 1963-1965 when a resolution was passed to increase the non-permanent members from 11 to 15.