Putin pushes for increased Global South representation in UN Security Council
Istanbul (ANTARA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday called for the expansion of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to increase the representation of several countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Delivering a speech at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, Putin stated that Russia places great importance on efforts to maintain and strengthen the central role of the UN in global affairs. According to Putin, BRICS member states must continue to work together to enhance the effectiveness of the organisation.
“Of course, the expansion of the UN Security Council, particularly by increasing the representation of countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, will contribute to that goal,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin statement.
Putin also noted a “long-standing need” to reform global economic institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which he believes are struggling to adapt to current “political and economic realities”.
He stated that the IMF, WTO, and World Bank remain important channels for dialogue among the world’s major economies and called for stronger coordination among BRICS nations within these institutions.
He remarked that BRICS has “properly established itself among the main centres of global governance”, noting that international political developments, security, economic cooperation, and humanitarian affairs increasingly depend on the collective decisions of its members.
Putin stated that amidst the emergence of a multipolar world order, BRICS nations must work together to strengthen multilateralism, involve more countries in global governance, and increase their participation in key international institutions.
“However, the formation of a multipolar world is not proceeding without difficulties; we can all see this. This process faces resistance from those accustomed to thinking within a framework that is essentially colonial, dividing the world into ‘prosperous gardens’ and ‘wilderness’, and living at the expense of others,” he said.
“They do not want to accept the changing reality and are attempting by all means to stem the tide of their rising competitors,” Putin added, noting that such methods include tariff wars, sanctions, and “brute force”.
The BRICS group was formed at the first high-level summit in Russia in 2009. Currently, BRICS consists of 11 member states: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.