India has called for greater transparency and objectivity in the UN Security Council’s process of listing and delisting terrorist groups and individuals, cautioning that the Council must not be used to legitimise terrorists for narrow political interests.
Speaking at the Council’s Open Debate on its working methods, Yojna Patel, Charge d’Affaires of India’s UN Mission, said Security Council membership brings significant responsibilities and must not become a platform for pursuing political interests.
“Presence in the Security Council must not be instrumentalised to legitimise terrorists by attempting to de-list them or to list other entities as terrorist organisations based solely on political considerations, without any objective criteria or supporting documentation,” Patel said.
She called for greater transparency in the listing and delisting process and highlighted the continuing deadlock over the appointment of chairs to the Council’s subsidiary bodies dealing with terrorism and sanctions.
“Security Council membership brings significant responsibilities. This must not become a platform to pursue narrow political interests,” Patel said.
Pakistan and China had this year unsuccessfully sought to designate the Baloch Liberation Army and the Majeed Brigade as terrorist groups subject to UN sanctions. The attempt was opposed by the US, France and the UK.
India also pointed to the delay in appointing chairs to the Council’s subsidiary bodies. Eight months into the year, several committees dealing with terrorism and sanctions remain without chairs amid differences among Council members.
Patel said the bodies had not been able to function optimally due to the delay and called on the Security Council to urgently finalise the appointments.
“India calls on the Security Council to urgently address this issue and finalise the Chairs on priority,” she said, calling for a “definitive and non-negotiable timeline” for completing the process.
Japan also expressed concern over the delay. Japan’s Deputy Permanent Representative Mikanagi Tomohiro urged members to reach an agreement through “balanced, transparent, efficient and inclusive consultations”.
On peacekeeping, Patel highlighted the gap between Security Council decisions and the realities faced by countries contributing troops and police to UN missions.
She said troop- and police-contributing countries go “far beyond the UNSC membership” and, as direct stakeholders, should be part of the Council’s decision-making on key issues concerning peacekeeping mandates and resources.
Patel also reiterated India’s call for comprehensive reform of the Security Council, including an expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership.
She said the Council’s current structure reflected “the outcome of one conflict 80 years ago” and needed to be reformed to reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.
India has maintained that the reform process should move forward through text-based negotiations with clearly defined milestones and timelines.
The reform process, known as the Intergovernmental Negotiations, has made limited progress amid procedural disagreements among member states.
-IANS
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