Reform, or world peace may turn into world order in pieces: India to UN

New Delhi/New York: Syed Akbaruddin, India's Ambassador to the United Nations, on Friday called for a reform and reinvigoration of the UN Security Council, saying that if the Council is not reformed, renovated and includes multilateralism as a practice, world peace is likely to be replaced by a 'world order in pieces'.

In a UN Security Council Open Debate, Akbaruddin said that the Council is facing a manifold crisis of performance, credibility, legitimacy, and relevance. However, to blame multilateralism for such a dismal situation of the Council is not legitimate, he added.

Targeting the working methods, Akbaruddin noted that even as the Council has formed an entire range of the subordinate bodies, the functioning of this 'subterranean universe' of subordinate bodies has become Byzantine. He also suggested that in the place of only five members having a veto on informal meetings, all 15 members should be bestowed with a veto in the 'subterranean universe' of sanctions committees.

In addition, as the task of promoting and maintaining international peace and security has grown more daunting, the Council has been found wanting, Akbaruddin said.