United Nations, 27 Feb

India has questioned why the UN Security Council has been rendered "completely ineffective" in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict that has continued unabated for two years, as New Delhi asserted that outdated structures need reform for multilateralism to be effective.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador, Ruchira Kamboj, raised the question at a UN General Assembly plenary meeting held to mark two years since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict on 24 February, 2022.

“As the conflict has continued for two years unabated, we, the comity of UN Member States, must pause and ask ourselves two pressing questions,” Kamboj told the UN General Assembly meeting on the Ukraine conflict. “Are we anywhere near a possible, acceptable solution? And if not, why is it that the UN system, particularly its principal organ, the United Nations Security Council, is mandated to primarily maintain international peace and security? Why is it rendered completely ineffective in the resolution of the ongoing conflict,” Kamboj questioned.

Last Friday, the General Assembly held a plenary debate on ‘The situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine’.

Addressing the debate after its resumption on Monday, Kamboj asserted that for multilateralism to be effective, “outdated and archaic structures need reform and reinventing, or else their credibility will always be on the wane. And unless we fix that systemic flaw, we will continue to be found wanting.”

She reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion that this is not an "era of war", a remark that the Indian leader had made during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand in September 2022.

Kamboj told the General Assembly that India continues to remain concerned over the situation in Ukraine. “We have consistently held the position that no solution can ever come at the cost of human lives. The escalation of hostilities and violence is in no one's interest,” she said.

Underlining that New Delhi has urged from the outset that all efforts must be made for an early cessation of hostilities and an urgent return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy, she stressed that engaging in dialogue stands as the “sole path" to resolving conflicts and differences, no matter how insurmountable such a course may seem at present.

“The path to peace requires us to keep all channels of diplomacy open. Hence, sincere and practical engagement amongst all stakeholders can help improve understanding and reduce the gap between divergent positions,” she said, adding that all stakeholders' wholehearted participation and commitment will be critical for stable and lasting peace. “We need to avoid steps which endanger the possibility of dialogue and negotiations,” she said.

Asserting that India's approach to the Ukraine conflict will continue to be people-centric, Kamboj highlighted that it is providing both humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic support to some of its neighbours in the Global South facing economic distress.

Kamboj further said that the international community must remain focused on the shared objectives to achieve development goals and the partnership and cooperation needed to achieve these. “As we, the member states, strive to bring the process of achieving the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) back on track and as we endeavour to forge a significant pact for the future, we should aim for more cooperation and not less,” she said.