India Criticizes Stalled UN Security Council Reform as ‘Theatre of the Absurd’, Calls for Text-Based Negotiations
Deputy Permanent Representative Yojna Patel urges structured talks with clear timelines, criticizes obstruction by UfC group
New York, Nov 19: India has sharply criticized the United Nations’ prolonged effort to reform the Security Council, calling the process “theatre of the absurd” after nearly two decades of stalled negotiations. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative Yojna Patel said the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) framework, created 17 years ago to advance reforms, has become dysfunctional.
Patel highlighted that member states continue to repeat the same positions year after year, without any mechanism to measure progress or resolve core disagreements. She called for a “complete reset” of the discussions to restore seriousness and effectiveness.
India pushes for text based negotiations
India has demanded the start of text-based negotiations with clear timelines and milestones, arguing that concrete proposals are needed instead of broad, repetitive statements. Patel stressed the need for “introspection and soul searching” on why the reform effort remains stagnant, asking whether the membership is “condemned, like Sisyphus, to be trapped in this endless cycle till eternity?”
New co-chairs aim to revive talks
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock has appointed Kuwait’s Tareq MAM AlBanai and the Netherlands’ Lise Gregoire-van Haaren as the new IGN co-chairs. India expressed hope that their leadership will help achieve tangible outcomes.
Obstruction by United for Consensus group
Patel identified the United for Consensus (UfC) group, led by Italy and including Pakistan, as a major hurdle, as it consistently resists adopting a negotiating text. She warned that consensus should not be used as a tool for obstruction, stating that when consensus becomes “a veto by another name,” it blocks progress.
India rejects faith based claims for representation
Responding to proposals to reserve seats for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Patel said India supports greater representation for Africa and small island states but maintained that “faith cannot become the determining criteria for Council entitlement.”
G4 urges urgent reform
Speaking for the G4 countries (India, Brazil, Japan, and Germany), Brazil’s Permanent Representative Sergio Franca Danese emphasized that the UN’s effectiveness is at stake. He urged a shift from general discussions to actual negotiations, stating: “We must stop talking about talking and start negotiating.”
