Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

UK backs India's case for permanent UN Security Council seat

Barbara Woodward stated that the UK also supports an expansion of the non-permanent category of membership, taking the Security Council’s total membership to somewhere in the mid-20s.

UK backs India's case for permanent UN Security Council seat

The United Kingdom has reiterated its support for the creation of new permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for India, Germany, Japan and Brazil and also called for the expansion of the council in both permanent and non-permanent categories.

Addressing the UNSC's annual debate on Security Council reform on Thursday, UK Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward said, "Our position is well known. The United Kingdom has long called for the expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories.


"We support the creation of new permanent seats for India, Germany, Japan and Brazil, as well as permanent African representation on the Council," she further said.

Woodward stated that the UK also supports an expansion of the non-permanent category of membership, taking the Security Council's total membership to somewhere in the mid-20s.

The General Assembly opened its annual debate with speakers renewing their appeals for enlarging the 15-member organ and updating its working methods to make it more transparent, inclusive, representative, accountable and effective in a world gripped by a cascade of interlocking crises.

Meanwhile, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj spoke on behalf of the G4 countries including Brazil, Germany and Japan. She voiced her regret over the lack of substantive work after four decades of equitable representation.

"Representation is an inescapable precondition for legitimacy and effectiveness," she said, adding that the longer Council reform is stalled, the greater its deficiency in representation.

"The longer the Security Council reform is stalled, the greater its deficit in representation. And representation is an inescapable precondition for its legitimacy and effectiveness," she added.

India's Permanent Representative stressed it is high time to bring the Security 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 categories. Only this will enable the Council to effectively manage today's global conflicts and increasingly complex and interconnected global challenges it faces today," she added.

Ambassador Kamboj said the G4 has been consistently asking for a single consolidated text and for renewed working methods to bring about an open, inclusive and transparent process, with webcasting, record-keeping and the application of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly.

"A single consolidated text, preferably with attribution, is the only means to move away from the cycle of repetition of well-known positions that have been the trademark of the IGN (Intergovernmental Negotiations) in the recent past," she said.

Reiterating G4's position, India's senior diplomat said the four nations uphold the need for a comprehensive reform of the Security Council, with the expansion of seats in both categories of membership, equitable regional representation, more transparent and inclusive working methods and an enhanced relationship with other UN bodies, including the General Assembly.

(ANI)

More For You

UK  mini heatwave

Sunny conditions will bring early summer warmth

Getty

UK to see mini heatwave as temperatures climb towards 24 °c

The UK is set for a period of warmer weather in the coming days, with temperatures expected to rise significantly across parts of the country. According to the Met Office, a spell of dry and sunny conditions will bring early summer warmth, although it will fall short of the threshold for an official heatwave.

Temperatures in south-eastern and central England could reach 23°c to 24°c by Tuesday, around 10C above the seasonal average for some areas. The Met Office described this as a “very warm spell” rather than a heatwave, though the contrast with recent cooler weather will be noticeable.

Keep ReadingShow less
indian-army-reuters

Indian security force personnel stand guard at the site of the attack on tourists in Baisaran near Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, April 24, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Indian and Pakistani troops exchange fire along Line of Control

INDIAN and Pakistani troops exchanged fire overnight along the Line of Control in Kashmir, officials from both sides said on Friday.

The exchange took place days after a deadly attack in the region and amid calls from the United Nations for both countries to show "maximum restraint".

Keep ReadingShow less
India declares state mourning for Pope Francis, Modi leads tributes

A sculpture by Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik in Puri, Odisha, on Monday (21)

India declares state mourning for Pope Francis, Modi leads tributes

INDIA began three days of state mourning on Tuesday (22) for the Pope, a rare honour for a foreign religious leader, as prime minister Narendra Modi joined other south Asian and world leaders in paying tributes following his death on Monday (21).

Pope Francis, the 88-year-old leader of 1.4 billion Catholics across the world, died of a stroke, causing a coma and “irreversible” heart failure, the Vatican said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Minority youth face racist content online once a week, report reveals

As many as 95 per cent of respondents reported encountering violent or abusive racist content online. (Photo: iStock)

Minority youth face racist content online once a week, report reveals

MOST young people from black and minority communities in Britain encounter racist content online, a new study revealed, with more than half reporting it damages their sense of safety.

The "Youth, Race and Social Media" report published on Thursday (24) highlighted a troubling picture of online racism and its effects on young people aged 16-24.

Keep ReadingShow less
england-gp-iStock

The researchers analysed data from over 8,500 GPs between 2015 and 2021 as part of the GP work life survey. (Representational image: iStock)

GPs in England’s deprived areas face lower pay, greater pressure: Report

GPs working in the most deprived areas of England earn an average of £5,525 less per year than those in wealthier areas, according to a study by the University of Manchester published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

The researchers analysed data from over 8,500 GPs between 2015 and 2021 as part of the GP work life survey.

Keep ReadingShow less