London . Backing India’s bid for permanent membership of the powerful Security Council, the British government has reiterated its demand for reform of the United Nations as one of its top priorities. India is among the leading countries demanding reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). India says it deserves a permanent seat in this world body. At present, the UNCC has five permanent members including the US, China, France, Russia and Britain, who have the right to veto any resolution. Addressing a conference at the Chatham House think tank, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called for a revival of the multilateral system to reflect the realities of the present day.
He underlined that the axis of the world economy is shifting from the Euro-Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific region, but multilateral institutions have not yet been able to adapt to the new circumstances. Foreign Minister Cleverly said, I have five transformational priorities. The United Nations must be reformed. We look forward to permanent representation of Africa and expansion of membership to India, Brazil, Germany and Japan. “I know this will be a bold reform, but it will also take the Security Council forward into the 2020s, which has not changed since 1965,” he said. Cleverly said, “My second priority is reform of international institutions. This is important for climate finance and certainly for poverty alleviation. The minister also praised India’s presidency of the G-20 which is representing poor countries on the world stage.
“It is clear to me that the voices of the poorest and most vulnerable countries must be heard in the multilateral system. That is why we have supported the African Union’s membership of the G-20 and support India’s leadership in this context.” Cleverly cited easy and quick access to finance and maximizing investment impact as Britain’s other priorities. Another top priority, he pointed out, is that artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing have the potential to transform mankind’s problem solving capabilities. ( PLC /GT )
