United Nations, Jan 27 (NationPress) India, alongside Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has emphasized the urgent need for reforming the Security Council in response to critical challenges facing the global organization.

India’s Permanent Representative P. Harish stated on Monday that reform must include adding permanent members to ensure that the international rule of law is effective, especially when the organization is experiencing significant strain.

He highlighted that the paralysis and ineffectiveness in addressing conflicts pose a major threat to the UN's credibility during the Council’s high-level open debate on “Reaffirming International Rule of Law.”

“To sustain multilateralism and the international rule of law, global governance structures must adapt to current realities,” he asserted.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that “globally, the rule of law is being supplanted by the law of the jungle,” stressing that swift reform of the Council is crucial.

He pointed out that only the Council possesses the authority to make binding decisions for all, and “no other body or temporary coalition can legally mandate compliance from all member states regarding peace and security,” he added.

According to him, the Council holds a unique responsibility, as under the UN Charter, it alone can authorize the use of force.

“This underscores the necessity for reform; we must act immediately to improve both the representation and effectiveness of this Council,” he stressed.

Harish cautioned that due to challenges to the Council's relevance, “Security discussions have shifted to parallel plurilateral frameworks, with some even involving private sector entities to achieve peace and security outcomes outside the United Nations.”

While the world has dramatically transformed in the 80 years since the UN's inception, he noted that the Council remains trapped in an obsolete era.

Given the changes in “power dynamics, demographics, and the nature of global challenges, there is an urgent need for comprehensive reform, including the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories,” he stated.

Guterres’ mention of an “ad hoc coalition” and Harish’s reference to “parallel plurilateral” frameworks pertain to the Board of Peace being established by US President Donald Trump as a challenge to the UN.

“Once this board is fully established, we can essentially do as we wish,” he noted last week at Davos.

Despite suggesting that they would proceed in collaboration with the United Nations, it implies a diminished role for the organization.