Russia Wants Africa, Brazil, and India Permanently Represented On The United Nations Security Council

Russia believes that Africa, Brazil, and India should be represented in the UN Security Council on a permanent basis, to ensure the representativeness of the global majority, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated.

Lavrov said “Countries such as India, and Brazil, as well as representatives of Africa, should have been on a permanent basis in the Security Council for a long time. This is necessary to ensure representativeness, representation of the global majority.”

That echoes views expressed by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin, who has also said that Moscow considers it important to reach a consensus on reform of the UN Security Council.

The UN Security Council currently includes five permanent members: China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, all of which have the power to veto any resolutions. With geopolitical tensions rising, the UN Security Council voting process has become moribund as can be seen in the 2024 decision-making process. The United States vetoed a proposal to accept new members in April this year.

In addition to the five permanent members, there are ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. For 2024-25 these will include Ecuador and Panama in Central / South America, Mozambique and Somalia in Africa, Japan and Pakistan in Asia, and Denmark, Greece, Malta, and Switzerland in Europe.

Russia has argued that leaving the UN Security Council without permanent representation from Brazil (South America’s dominant country and largest economy), India (with the world’s largest population and nuclear power), and Africa (a population of nearly 20% of the global total), while maintaining predominantly Western voting influence (6 European countries and the United States) is creating an imbalance that favours the West as well as NATO and is diminishing the capabilities of the UN to cater for truly global issues. Both Russia and China are heavily supportive of the UN charter and this commitment is reiterated in their respective foreign policies. Both, however – along with Africa, Brazil, and India are pushing for reforms.