Parvataneni Harish addresses the issue of veto power in the United Nations Security Council

In his presentation to the UN General Assembly, Parvathaneni Harish, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, discussed the subject of veto power in the UN Security Council and emphasized the need for equitable allocation.

“All five of the Council’s permanent members have utilized the veto to further their own political agendas during the last 80 years. The veto has been used around 200 times throughout this time. A reconfigured UN Security Council now has a wide range of choices for using the veto power. “We are prepared to collaborate with other delegations on the next steps,” Harish said.

Harish emphasized the need of equality among permanent members and emphasized India’s steadfast position on the issue.

“Mr. President, India has maintained that, for the sake of justice and fairness, all permanent members must use their veto power as long as it is available. Thus, we agree with the African stance on the veto,” he said.
Harish made the following statement on the wider ramifications of the veto: “The use of veto has been a provision available to only five Member States, although it goes against the concept of sovereign equality of UN member states.”

Harish said, “Therefore, we continue to urge strongly that all five aspects of the UN Security Council reform, including the question of veto, must be addressed in a comprehensive manner through clearly defined timelines in the IGN process.” Harish called for a comprehensive approach to change.

“By beginning text-based negotiations at the earliest, India remains fully committed to supporting any initiative that genuinely furthers the objective of achieving meaningful and comprehensive reform of the United Nations architecture,” he added, underscoring the importance of the negotiations.