“Support reforms to UN institutions”: US on Musk’s remarks on India’s permanent UNSC seat

Washington, DC [US], April 18 (ANI): The US has offered support for reforms to United Nations institutions, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

When asked about Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s statement regarding India’s lack of a permanent seat at the UNSC, Vedant Patel said, “The President has spoken about this before in his remarks to the UN General Assembly, and the Secretary has alluded to this as well. We certainly support reforms to the UN institution, including the Security Council, to make it reflective of the 21st-century world that we live in. I don’t have any specifics to offer on what those steps are, but certainly, we recognise that there is a need for reform, but I will leave it at that for now.”

In January, Elon Musk called India not having a permanent seat in the UNSC as ‘absurd.’ He said that nations with excess power don’t want to relinquish it.

In a post on X, Musk said, “At some point, there needs to be a revision of the UN bodies. Problem is that those with excess power don’t want to give it up. India not having a permanent seat on the Security Council, despite being the most populous country on Earth, is absurd. Africa collectively should also have a permanent seat imo.”

India has long sought a permanent seat on the Security Council to better represent the interests of the developing world. The nation’s quest has gained momentum with support from the international community.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is composed of 15 member states, including five permanent members with veto power and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.

The five permanent members of the UNSC include China, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States. The non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council are elected for 2-year terms by the UNGA.

Ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in its election manifesto titled ‘Sankalp Patra’, vowed to pursue permanent membership for the country in the United Nations Security Council.

In its manifesto released on April 14, the BJP stated, “We are committed to seeking permanent membership in the UN Security Council to elevate Bharat’s position in global decision-making.”

Earlier in January, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stressed growing global support for India’s permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council and said that sometimes things are not given generously, and one has to seize them.

“With each passing year, the feeling in the world is that India should be there, and I can feel that support…The world does not give things easily and generously; sometimes you have to take them,” the EAM said while responding to a question about a permanent seat for India at the UNSC. He made the remarks at ‘Manthan’: Townhall meeting in Maharashtra’s Nagpur.