Explanation of Position on adoption of PGA's roll-over decision regarding IGN

27 August 2024
Statement by Ambassador Yojna Patel, Deputy Permanent Representative

President of the General Assembly,

Co-Chairs of IGN Process,

I am taking floor to explain the position of my delegation on the adoption of the oral decision rolling over the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reforms to the 79^th UNGA session.

India aligns with the statement delivered by St Vincent & the Grenadines on behalf of the L.69, and the statement to be delivered by Brazil on behalf of the G4.

In addition to those two statements, my delegation would like to make the following points:

These relate to the urgency of the need to finally start text-based negotiations; observations on the inputs shared with the broader SoTF process; and some contradictory individual references included in this year’s Convergences.

Before taking up these issues, my delegation would like to express appreciation for the efforts made by the co-chairs to instill some progress in the IGN process. These include the initiatives relating to creating the digital repository and webcasting taken in the previous cycle and the facilitation of discussions on the models of UNSC reform that were held in the current cycle.

While we appreciate these efforts by the co-chairs, it is clear that progress in this process continues to be incremental at best and far from what most delegations aim for given the importance and urgency of the issue.

Our first point relates to the urgency of the text-based negotiations.

India, along with a large number of delegations, has been highlighting now for more than a decade and a half, the critical need for text-based negotiations in the IGN just as it is done for all other multilateral processes on any important issue.

Given the growing global crises impacting the Council’s effectiveness, it is increasingly untenable that the IGN on UNSC reforms is the only process in the UN where text-based negotiations continue to be stalled after such a long time.

This brings us to our second point.

Due to an absence of due process, the Elements Paper, though well intentioned, only remains a subjective summary of the co-chairs.

This year’s Elements Paper too includes some new contradictory references.

For instance, a reference to cross regional groupings that has been included under Convergences section of the Elements Paper even though an accompanying qualifying footnote itself states that this reference does not enjoy consensus at all! It is, therefore, inaccurate and misleading to continue to include this under Convergences and in the text shared with SoTF process.

This inclusion risks being perceived as an arbitrary decision, not reflecting the broader sentiment of discussions. This will not be helpful going forward.

We now come to our third and related point, which relates to the special circumstances of IGN process providing inputs for the SoTF text. The negotiations to finalize the Pact of the Future under the upcoming Summit of the Future are ongoing.

The modalities resolution 76/307 for Summit of the Future mandates a consensus on the text being finalized. Para 4 of SoTF modalities resolution states - “decides that the Summit will adopt a concise, action oriented outcome document entitled A Pact for the Future' agreed in advance by consensus through intergovernmental negotiations."

My delegation is constrained to state that the text shared as the final input by the IGN Co-Chairs for SoTF does not enjoy the widest possible acceptance among delegations.

The input, finalized without due negotiating process, does not accurately reflect the sentiment of member states.

We look forward to working with member states on this in the SoTF Process, including on the reference to UNSC reforms. There is a clear global sentiment in favour of expansion of both categories of membership.

In conclusion, we would like to point out that at this stage, this ongoing exercise aimed at expanding Convergences appears to have run its course in contributing to any meaningful progress. Urgent text-based negotiations are the need of the hour.

We continue to call for a constructive approach that aims to build on the views expressed by majority of member states including on expansion in both categories of UNSC membership and time bound commencement of text based negotiations at the earliest. We had hoped that these aspects would be clearly reflected in the IGN inputs for SoTF. We would still argue for these in the discussions to finalize PoTF.

Coming back to IGN process itself, it is now apparent that in its current form and modalities that is, without application of the GA Rules of Procedure, and without a single negotiating text - the IGN risks losing legitimacy if it continues indefinitely.

In the context of the crucial importance of overall reforms of the UNSC and in view of the multiple challenges faced by mutilateralism itself, India would like to underscore the need for the credibility of the IGN process.

It is important that we introspect within the IGN on why there is little progress on the outcomes achieved so far and what should be the roadmap ahead. We must not allow this to be an exercise in perpetuity only on paper. Time is running out!

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