UNSC Chief Endorses India’s Candidacy for Permanent Membership, Asks UK to Quit

Former UNSC President Kishore Mahbubani has called for India to be granted a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, citing India's status as the world's third-most powerful country. Mahbubani also suggested that the UK should relinquish its seat, given its diminished global influence and lack of veto power usage.

 India’s quest for a permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has received a boost from former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani who was the president of the UNSC in 2001/2002. In an interview recently, Mahbubani said that India, now the third most powerful country in the world, has every right to be a permanent member of the UNSC. 

 Pointing at the shift of power in the global politics, Mahbubani proposed that the UK should give up its permanent membership for India. Mahbubani said, ‘There is absolutely no question that India is the third most-powerful country today after the United States and China. The Great Britain is no longer great,’ The UK has not used its veto power for decades because it is afraid of the backlash. He stated that this lack of influence is the reason why India should become a permanent member. 

 India has been aspiring for a permanent seat in the UNSC, an organization that has five permanent members including the US, UK, France, China and Russia who have the power of veto. India has been a non permanent member eight times in the past and is a member from 2021 to 2022. The G4 nations include India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan, and all of them support each other’s candidature for the permanent membership of the UNSC and stress on the necessity of the reform of the organization. 

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 With India emerging as a major economic and strategic power, Mahbubani’s comments reflect the changing global perception on the issue of UNSC reforms. He underlined the fact that the United Nations needs to be relevant in the new world order where countries like India are important in managing the world order.