ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
India calls for greater Global South role at UN, responds to Pakistan on Kashmir
India told the UN Security Council that reforms and wider Global South representation cannot be delayed.
-
Pranavi Sharma - Sat, 25, Oct 2025
- 01:34 EDT
- 35
India’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish / X
India’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish, said the Global South must have greater representation in global decision-making, calling for a fundamental reform of the UN Security Council. He was speaking at the Security Council Open Debate on “The United Nations: Looking into the Future” in New York on Oct. 24.
Harish said the current Council structure reflects “geopolitical realities of 1945” and is not equipped to address present-day challenges. “The existing 80-year-old framework needs an immediate and fundamental overhaul,” he said. He argued that delaying reforms “does immense disservice to our citizens, especially in the Global South.”
He called for expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership categories, with negotiations conducted “in a time-bound framework.”
The ambassador said the Global South represents most of the world’s population but continues to face unique development, climate, and financing challenges. “This bloc of countries represents the overwhelming proportion of humanity and has its unique set of challenges,” he said. Global decision-making structures, he added, must become more democratic and inclusive to respond effectively.
Harish criticized tendencies in international cooperation that treat development support as charity. “Wellbeing is increasingly being seen in narrow national terms,” he said. He warned that progress defined only in such terms is “neither sustainable nor tenable in moral terms and on a practical basis.”
On peacekeeping, he said UN mandates must be realistic and based on input from troop-contributing countries, supported by adequate resources and technology.
He said the upcoming UN80 process should not remain limited to budget or staff restructuring. “UN80 must be far more ambitious in nature,” he noted, and should aim for “real, comprehensive reforms” of UN bodies.
Harish also emphasized revitalizing the UN General Assembly as the principal deliberative body, with stronger coordination between the Assembly and the Security Council.
Response to Pakistan
Responding to Pakistan’s representative, Harish rejected any suggestion of a dispute over Jammu and Kashmir. “The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India,” he said.
He added that the people of the region exercise their rights under India’s constitutional framework, contrasting this with conditions in Pakistan-administered areas. “We call upon Pakistan to end the grave and ongoing human rights violations” there, he stated.
Harish reiterated India’s view of the world as “one family,” adding that India will continue to work with Global South partners and support multilateral cooperation.
He closed by saying the UN must be “fit for purpose for the new era".
Related
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
ADVERTISEMENT
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login