President Pranab Mukherjee and lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Tuesday urged the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for speeding the process of reforms in UN Security Council. During Moon’s meeting at Rashtrapati Bhawan, Mukherjee said reforms in the UN are essential to enhance its “credibility and legitimacy” for the truthful representation of the present geo-political realities.
Mukherjee conveyed to the visiting dignitary that “the UN is in urgent need of reform for its own credibility and legitimacy of its decisions,” the President’s Press Secretary Venu Rajamony said in a statement.
“Reforms of the United Nations should be advanced at least in the 70th year of the UN. India hopes and counts upon the UN Secretary General’s leadership and persuasive skills to steer the discussions for urgent reform of the UN,” the President said. The UN will turn 70 on October 24 this year. India is an aspirant for permanent membership of the expanded Security Council.
In her meeting with Moon in Parliament House, the Speaker stressed that the United Nations Security Council must be reformed to reflect the current political realities and more developing countries should be included as both permanent and non-permanent members. She pointed out that the lack of reforms had affected the credibility and effectiveness of the Security Council and Moon’s leadership would prove vital for urgent reforms, on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations.