India has voiced its discontent with the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) annual report, labeling it a “ritual without much substance.” During his address to the UN General Assembly, Pratik Mathur, the Minister at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, asserted that the report should go beyond simply listing meetings, briefers, and outcome documents. He argued that the annual report should offer an insightful analysis of the measures the Security Council has taken to maintain international peace and security within the reporting period.
“However, the debate on the annual report has become a ritual without much substance. The annual reports have become compendium containing details of the meetings, briefers, and outcome documents. Last year, only six monthly reports were compiled – reflecting lack of interest among the members about this ritual,” Mathur stated.
Mathur also emphasized the need for a comprehensive reform of the Security Council, advocating for the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent members. He pointed out that the UN Charter designates the report as a serious document, evident in the separate provision mandating its existence rather than including it with reports from other UN bodies.
He further criticized the lack of analysis on UN peacekeeping operations in the report, stating that it provides limited information on how operations are run, the challenges faced, and the rationale behind mandate changes or adjustments. Mathur underscored the critical role of troop-contributing countries (TCCs) in peacekeeping missions and called for improved collaboration between the Security Council and TCCs.
“The annual report, in its truest form, is also meant to be an analysis on the UN peacekeeping operations, the flagship tool for the maintenance of international peace and security. However, in reality, we find there is little information on how peacekeeping operations are run, on the problems they face, on why certain mandates are set or changed, or on when and why they are strengthened, scaled down or ended. As most peacekeepers are contributed by non-Council members, who put the lives of their troops at risk to serve the cause of international peace, a better partnership between the Security Council and the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) is needed,” Mathur said.
To address the shortcomings of the Security Council, Mathur stressed the necessity of aligning the Council with its Charter mandate to act on behalf of all UN member states. He proposed that the only viable solution is a “comprehensive reform of the Security Council,” involving expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories.
“It is high time to bring the Council in line with its Charter responsibility to act on behalf of the entire Membership. This will not be achieved without enhancing the membership in both the categories – permanent and non-permanent members,” the Indian diplomat said.
“We remain convinced that the only remedy is a comprehensive reform of the Security Council, involving expansion in its permanent and non-permanent categories. Only this will enable the Council to manage effectively today’s conflicts around the globe as well as the increasingly complex and interconnected global challenges it faces today,” he added.
He also emphasized the need for the Security Council to demonstrate its credibility and improve its performance, given that performance assessment has become a central focus within the United Nations.
“Since performance assessment has become one of the focus areas at the United Nations, the Security Council too needs to prove its credibility and improve its performance. We hope that the views and comments expressed by the Member States are given serious consideration,” Mathur stated.
