BRICS Calls for the Reform of the UN and Its Security Council

On April 14, 2011, for the first time the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) group called for comprehensive reform of the UN and its Security Council. It boosted India’s sought for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. This represented a step forward on the part of the Chinese to endorse the aspirations of India, Brazil and South Africa for permanent membership of the UNSC. The Sanya declaration also underscored the concurrent presence of all five BRICS countries in the present UNSC as a valuable opportunity to work closely on issues of peace and security.

•    The declaration put emphasis on international cooperation in the development of safe nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, under conditions of strict observance of relevant safety standards and requirements concerning design, construction and operation of nuclear power plants.
•    The five leaders, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff and South African President Jacob Zuma also held detailed deliberations on the global economic situation.
•    In the context of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, leaders of the five countries reaffirmed their support for nuclear energy as an important element in the future energy mix of BRICS countries.
•    It was agreed that the financial crisis had exposed the inadequacies of the existing international monetary system, with a broad-based international reserve currency system providing stability and certainty.
•    The Chinese contention to focus on Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) as an alternative got more attention with the five countries agreeing to discuss the possibility of expanding the basket of currencies in the SDRs to make it a viable option.
•    The five countries also signed an agreement that would enable disbursal of credit for trade purposes among each other in local currencies. However, it was made clear in the agreement that this was subject to national laws, which can override the provisions in this agreement.
•    The BRICS repeated its call for the governing structures of international financial institutions to reflect the changes in the world economy, increasing the voice and representation of emerging economies and developing countries.

India’s stance

In the BRICS Summit, India asserted that there was a consensus over restructuring international institutions of governance. India’s argument was supplemented by South Africa and Russia and Brazil. India has been advocating reforms in the UN Security Council to make them truly representative contemporary realities.

India also brought to the fore the concerns the world is grappling with due to threats to security from terrorism and piracy. India held that global economic security situation was reviewed. It was agreed that all countries need to work together to tackle the challenges of sustainable development, food and energy security besides climate change. The conclusion of the BRICS summit of the world's five major emerging economies in China was widely reported with the focus on China's backing for a greater role for India at the UN.