India (Commonwealth Union)_ Tesla CEO Elon Musk has advocated for the restructuring of United Nations bodies and stated that India, the most populous country on Earth, lacking a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is “absurd”. The Tesla CEO expressed his views on the need for revisions within the UN bodies during a recent discussion. Musk emphasized that nations with excessive power are reluctant to relinquish it and argued for collective African representation in the UNSC.
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Elon Musk, addressing the issue on X, asserted, “At some point, there needs to be a revision of the UN bodies. The problem is that those with excess power don’t want to give it up. India not having a permanent seat on the Security Council, despite being the most populous country on Earth, is absurd. Africa collectively should also have a permanent seat, in my opinion.”
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Further, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also urged for reforms to better reflect the contemporary world. Antonio Guterres had earlier highlighted the absence of a single permanent member from Africa in the Security Council and advocated for institutions to reflect the present global landscape. India, despite being the most populous country, has served as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for eight terms (16 years). As part of the G4 group, India supports reforms in the UNSC and aspires to attain permanent membership. Guterres stated, “How can we accept that Africa still lacks a single Permanent Member in the Security Council? Institutions must reflect the world of today, not that of 80 years ago. September’s Summit of the Future will provide a platform to consider global governance reforms and re-build trust”.
Additionally, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also highlighted the growing global support for India’s permanent UNSC membership, acknowledging that such privileges are not easily granted and sometimes need to be asserted. He stated, “As time passes, the feeling across the world is that India should be there, and I can sense that support. The world does not always give things easily and generously; at times you have to take them.” Earlier, in September 2023, Jaishankar raised concerns that the UN’s hesitation to implement reform might cause it to become “anachronistic.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi echoed these sentiments, noting the disparity between the UN’s founding structure and the present global landscape. Despite the UN’s expansion to around 200 member countries, the composition of permanent members in the UNSC remains unchanged. The PM stated, “When the UN was established, the world at that time was totally different from what it is today. During that time, there were 51 founding members of the UN. At present, the number of countries included in the UN is around 200. Despite this, the permanent members of UNSC remain unchanged.”
