India should become permanent member of UNSC: French president Macron

France's President Emmanuel Macron addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters (AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron has backed a permanent seat for India in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), adding that it's time for the UN body to expand and include more countries.

In his address during the UN General Debate on September 25, Macron said: "France is in favour of the Security Council being expanded. Germany, Japan, India and Brazil should become permanent members, as well as two countries that Africa would designate to represent it."

Currently, only five countries are permanent members of UNSC and have veto powers. These are US, China, France, Russia and UK.

Several countries, including permanent UNSC members like US, have supported India's inclusion to the powerful club. However, China has often opposed the proposal.

United States has said that it supports India’s aspiration to secure a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Following the recently held Quad Leaders' Summit, the leaders of Quad—comprising the US, India, Japan, and Australia—reiterated the necessity for comprehensive reform of the UN body in their joint statement.

India has been seeking a permanent seat on the UN Security Council for several years, highlighting its contributions to peacekeeping missions, its expanding global influence, and its status as the world’s largest democracy.

The nation has also advocated for reforms within the United Nations, particularly regarding the Security Council.

In an interview with the French daily Les Echos in 2023, PM Modi strongly advocated for India’s “rightful place” on the UN Security Council. He criticized the uneven geographical representation within the UNSC and called for reforms in the global body, stating that it exemplifies the disconnect of an institution that has not kept pace with the evolving world order.

New Delhi has expressed frustration over the lack of significant progress in the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) concerning Security Council reform. India is a strong candidate for permanent membership on the UN Security Council (UNSC).

External affairs minister S Jaishankar in April 2024 said he was confident that India will secure a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), although he acknowledged that it might require “extra effort.”

Jaishankar said, “We will surely get it. But no big achievement comes without hard work. So, we will have to work hard for it.”

Besides the five permanent members, there are ten non-permanent members in UNSC, who are elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly.

There has been an increasing call to expand the number of permanent members to better reflect contemporary global realities.

(With inputs from agencies)