India Warns Security Council Inaction Undermining Public Faith In UN

NEW YORK, NY – India has warned that the United Nations is losing public confidence because of the Security Council’s failure to reform and respond effectively to global conflicts.

Speaking at a ministerial roundtable on “Making Multilateralism Fit for the Future” on July 14, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, P. Harish, said the Security Council’s inability to intervene meaningfully in ongoing conflicts had weakened faith in the organization.

“Public perception about the UN has changed adversely in the recent past primarily due to the Security Council’s inability to meaningfully intervene in raging conflicts across different parts of the globe,” Harish said.

He added that the Council had failed to end the suffering of affected populations, raising questions about its ability to fulfill its core responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.

Harish said the UN’s 80-year-old institutional structure was no longer suited to today’s challenges and criticized the lack of progress on Security Council reform. The Intergovernmental Negotiations process, he said, had been reduced to “an endless cycle of prepared statements.”

As a result, key commitments under the Pact for the Future, adopted by world leaders in 2024, have remained largely unimplemented. “This is untenable and must change,” he said.

Harish acknowledged that India had “significant reservations” about some of the Pact’s action points but supported it in a constructive spirit.

He also called for revitalizing the General Assembly and strengthening the Economic and Social Council’s role in advancing sustainable development.

On development financing, Harish urged international financial institutions to become more representative, responsive and development-oriented while preserving their mandates.

“Adequate, affordable and predictable financing remains indispensable for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said. (IANS)