As it is, the country is committed to multilateralism in the conduct of international affairs as seen in its role and pro-active approach to UN Peace Keeping Forces and UN Democracy Fund. Simultaneously, India’s professed objective has been focused on the United Nations reforms, especially in UN General Assembly and UN Security Council. But progress so far shows that notwithstanding the rhetoric of support from high profile visitors of the developed countries and emerging economies supporting India’s bid for UN reforms particularly expansion of the UN Security Council and a permanent seat for India in it, the unfolding situation points out that unless India adopts proactive approach in this regard to engage with the other stakeholders and make coalition with countries sharing the same concerns, UN reforms may come a cropper.

A source in the Government of India maintained that it remained fully committed to reforms within the UN and has utilized every possible opportunity to build support among the UN member states for early reforms of the UN. The official source further revealed that the nodal Ministry of External Affairs accorded high priority to the issue of UN reforms; especially the reform of the UN Security Council and the Government has been pro-active in the matter.

Various efforts of India included utilization of official and non-official delegations, presenting the case for urgent reform of the UN in the United Nations General Assembly Sessions 64th and 65th in September 2009 and September 2010 respectively, holding bilateral meetings with delegates of several member nations to enlist their support for expeditious UN reform and participation in a meeting of G-4 (India, Brazil, Germany and Japan), and Foreign Ministers took the UN Security Council reform agenda forward. During the two UN General Assembly Sessions, India’s case on various issues facing the world body including the UN reform was put forth vigorously.

It is also learnt that India along with Brazil, Germany and Japan (combined known as G-4) has been coordinating regularly efforts for expansion of the UN Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership. Meetings of the G-4 are held regularly to coordinate a joint strategy for pushing up the UN reform.

The other initiative of India has been to bring together L.69 Group comprising developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, supportive of early UN Security Council expansion. A source in the Government explained that India has been holding coordination meetings of the L.69 to muster support for the UN reform process. In addition, following sustained efforts of G-4 and L.69, inter-governmental negotiations on expansion of the UN Security Council started in an informal plenary of the UN General Assembly in February 2009. This was an ice-breaking event after years of unproductive discussions and since then five rounds of negotiations have been held. In all such rounds, India and like-minded countries advocated strongly urgent action on expansion of the UN Security Council.

The G-4 and South Africa took further initiatives in December 2009 to move towards text-based negotiations. As a result, support of 140 nations was mobilized and a joint letter was addressed to the Chairman of negotiations urging him to work out a draft text for discussions. In this connection, India as a member of the G-4 and leader of the L.69 wrote separate letters to the Chair seeking expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council. Such letters from India were able to catalyse production of a draft text by the Chair as a basis for the fifth round of negotiations.

Besides, various multilateral summits and meetings were utilized to seek support for the UN Security Council reform. In this regard, Indian delegations to the summit and Ministerial level meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth and the African Union took up the issue of UN reform with their counterparts from other countries. Added to this, the UN reform issue was discussed invariably during the bilateral visits and meetings of Indian delegations at different levels as well.

So far, there is no perceptible signs of progress towards the UN reforms. Major players (powers) including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council have shown no formal interests. At the same time, the rumour mill has it that Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan and South Africa are covertly opposed to India’s bid for a permanent seat in the expanded UN Security Council, notwithstanding their overt diplomatic postures favouring India. Besides, gestures of diplomatic support to India’s bid from visiting leaders of the developed world except China appear to be mere rhetoric at this stage.

Right now, there is no clear way forward towards the much-hyped UN reforms. This does not appear to be the immediate priority of the world leaders, embroiled as they are in combating economic downturn, unemployment, poverty, terrorism, natural as well as man made disasters!!