BackUNSC remains a captive of its 5 permanent members: Hamid Ansari
Closed forums like the UN Security Council are hampering efforts to deal with new security challenges, says Hamid Ansari
Premium
Tunis (Tunisia): Indian vice president Hamid Ansari on Friday said that emerging economies like India had managed to secure a say in the global economic architecture but forums like the United Nations Security Council remained closed groups, hampering efforts to deal with new and evolving security challenges.
In a speech to the Tunisian Institute of Strategic Studies, Ansari who is on a two-day visit to Tunisia said that the world was witnessing “the ease with which regional and sub-national conflicts have spiraled into broader conflict and become a global security challenge".
These threats were being posed by “non-state sources such as organized crime, organized terrorist outfits and pirates. Even more disturbing is the trend where non-state armed groups appear as parties in violent conflict", he said.
Traditional security architecture, Ansari noted, had been slow to respond to the new realities that included “a phenomenal increase in lower intensity civil conflicts, an increase in violence against unprotected civilians, conflicts spilling across state boundaries whose principal victims are civilians, dislocation of populations as well as undermining the nation state, and are creating friction between neighbouring countries…
“While emerging economies have secured a role in the global economic system, the Security Council of the United Nations remains a captive of its five permanent members. This intransigence has constrained the ability of the established security systems to address the evolving nature of security challenges," he said.
Ansari’s choice of Tunis to articulate India’s position on the United Nations Security Council expansion is seen as interesting given that India, which is campaigning for a seat in the expanded UN Security Council with a veto, needs the support of the 54 nations of the African continent to gain entry into the global rule-setting forum.
Highlighting India’s progress to become one of the fastest growing emerging economies in the world, Ansari said India’s market-friendly economic policies had resulted in an increase in industrial and agricultural output as well as an increase in foreign direct investment.
“India is recognized as the world leader in the pharmaceutical sector and the information technology (IT) domain," as are its capabilities in space technology and nuclear sciences, the vice president said.
Quoting from a speech made by India’s former national security advisor Shiv Shankar Menon, Ansari said India was not “a rejectionist power that stands outside the global order but her interests lie in working to change, reform and improve the global order….
“We do believe that as one-sixth of humanity and in keeping with the growing capacities and aspirations of our people, India has a much larger role to play in charting a more equitable and sustainable future for our world. For this reason we believe that any global forum which does not include India has limited relevance," Ansari said.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
