From Fragmentation to Unity: IBSA’s Push for UNSC Reforms

At an India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit in the city of Johannesburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that reforms of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) are no longer an option but a need. He urged the three involved countries of India, Brazil, and South Africa to promote substantive changes in the global governance systems, hence explaining the ability of IBSA to encourage cohesion in the face of widespread fragmentation. PM Modi also suggested forming an NSA-level of cooperation and practices of the IBSA Digital Innovation alliance with the goal of facilitating inclusive development.

At COP30, the Global South is prioritizing climate justice, autonomy, and finance by demanding equitable development, challenging fossil fuel interests, and pushing for a new global economic and financial system. Key demands include public finance, an end to debt cycles and austerity, a rejection of false solutions like private finance for adaptation, and a focus on community-led climate solutions and indigenous rights.

The need to restructure the United Nations Security Council has been given a new sense of urgency in modern world politics. Similarly, during the recent leaders' summit of India-Brazil, and South Africa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that reforms of the UNSC are no longer a choice, but a necessity. Formed in 1945 as a mechanism of protecting a peaceful and secure environment, the UNSC has remained biased in terms of accruing certain powers, keeping away the emergent economies and Global South; an issue that has created substantive questions about legitimacy, inclusivity, and effectiveness in delivering response measures to transnational issues like pandemics, climate change, regional conflicts, and the like. In this regard, IBSA becomes important as a group of the three major democracies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America that uphold equity and collaboration in the governance of the world. This is where Modi makes the call, and IBSA is seen as both a moral and political actor, able to make the voice of the developing countries heard, and at the same time demand structural change in the UNSC. Reform therefore introduced as not only a political necessity but a necessity that must be present in order to regain credibility, unity, and make international institutions sensitive to the demands of the twenty-first century.

Reforms India is leading a strong, ongoing push for urgent and time-bound reforms of the UN Security Council (UNSC), arguing the current structure is anachronistic and unrepresentative of 21st-century geopolitical realities. The core of India's stance is that the fragmentation of global power requires unity in representation, specifically through the expansion of the UNSC's membership

PM Modi Statement: Context and Significance

The urgency with which the Reforms of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) are required to be made is underscored by the pronouncement in the IBSA summit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which places the issue of reforms within the disjointed global landscape and towards the promotion of inclusive governance by IBSA.
PM Modi's recent statements at the November 2025 G20 Summit in South Africa focused on global cooperation on AI governance, health security, and sustainable development, specifically proposing a human-centric approach to technology and new initiatives for the Global South.

Background of UNSC Reform
The UNSC was created in 1945 with the purpose of protecting international peace and security. However, its composition still reflects the post-World War II balance of power, whereby five permanent members are given veto power. Such an arrangement has been criticized for a long time for leaving out emerging economies and underrepresenting the Global South. The position of Modi puts India, Brazil, and South Africa as the voices of democratic legitimacy, and structural change is necessary to allow equitable involvement in the decision-making process.

Fragmented World-Order and Increasing Problems
The statement of PM Modi is of importance in the context of the disjointed structure of the world order, including geopolitical rivalry, climate disasters, pandemics, and terrorism. This has served as a limitation to the UNSC, as it is not responding to these challenges effectively because of the shortcomings of this institution. Making reforms appear as an imperative, PM Modi points out that the lack of inclusiveness and responsiveness will cause the Council to lose confidence and lose its relevance in relation to the threats that the twenty-first century presents.

Moral and Political Force of IBSA
IBSA is a combination of three different democracies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and is made up of like-minded values of equity and cooperation. The stress of IBSA by PM Modi also sends the idea that reform advocacy was not only nationalistic but also the voice of the Global South. Other proposals, like establishing institutionalization of NSA-level discussions and establishing an IBSA Digital Innovation Alliance, are also indicative of the ability of the bloc to strengthen unity and innovation in world governance.

Significance of the Statement
The importance of the statement made by PM Modi is that he places reform as a necessity to regain confidence in multilateral institutions. This is because by pushing IBSA to give a clear message, he puts the troika at the center of effecting systemic changes. The reform agenda is not an empty rhetoric; hence, strategic interventions are needed to make sure that international institutions are credible, representative, and capable of meeting the challenges of the time.

Structural deficits of the UNSC

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which was formed in 1945 to promote the protection of peace and security in the international system, still functions within the framework that was intended to be the framework of a post-World War 2 order. It has lacked structural openness such that which has generated major gaps which undermine its credibility and performance.The primary structural deficits of the UN Security Council (UNSC) stem from an outdated composition that reflects the post-1945 power balance and the paralyzing effect of the permanent member (P5) veto power.

Bureaucratic Form and Formulation
The structure of the Council is an aspect that reflects the geopolitical reality of 1945 and not the multipolar world today. Five permanent members (P5) United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China, have a disproportionately large amount of power, and emerging economies and regions such as Africa, Latin America, and South Asia are underrepresented. This disproportion continues to breed inequity and denies many significant parts of the global population any meaningful sway on serious decisions.

Institutional Paralysis and Veto Power
The power of vetoes enjoyed by the P5 is often utilised to block resolutions, even in humanitarian crisis cases. The practice has helped to freeze the work of institutions, especially in the wars in Syria and Ukraine. Political exploitation of veto powers contravenes the credibility of the Council, obstructs collective action and contributes to the impression of prejudice and partisan intervention.

Failure to resolve present-day challenges
The UNSC has been unable to keep up with the threats of the twenty-first century, such as climate, pandemics, terrorism, and cyber-security. Their peacekeeping missions have been repeatedly criticised as disorganised and underfunded, and in response to humanitarian crises is variable. Such weaknesses highlight the failure of the Council to offer holistic solutions to crises in the world.

Stalled Reform Process
Even after it was generally acknowledged that the UNSC faced these deficits, the attempts at reformation have not gone anywhere in almost two decades. The length of the negotiations has been referred to as a “theatre of the absurd” by India, and the extent to which no progress has been made towards embracing a tangible model of change. Unless there is structural reform, the UNSC is at risk of undermining further its own legitimacy and its relevance to the processes of global governance.

Reform Advocacy Role of IBSA

The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum is a unique trilateral initiative comprising three key democracies that represent the Asian, African, and Latin American regions. During the recent leaders' summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that the reforms of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) are no longer a choice, but a mandate, which makes IBSA a closer participant in the occurrence of structural change in world governance.
The IBSA Dialogue Forum (India, Brazil, South Africa) plays a significant reform advocacy role by promoting a more inclusive, democratic, and representative global governance structure, particularly within the United Nations system and international financial institutions.

IBSA as Voice of the Global South
IBSA represents the dreams of the developing countries, which are underrepresented in the UNSC. The forum demonstrates a united request in viewing itself as inclusive, legitimate, and fair in international decision-making because it brings three different areas on board. This alliance challenges the dominant post-Second World War models of power and proposes a new model that would demonstrate modern multi-polar realities.

Supporting Democratic and Human Governance
The task of IBSA is more about geopolitical representation, although it focuses on human-centric development and democratic values. These statements by PM Modi underscored the positive ability of IBSA to spread a message of unity, collaboration, and mankind in a disjointed world. Such a moral stance makes it more credible as a reform-driven organization, which means that the arguments in favour of the change are based on justice and equality ideals.

Initiatives of the Institution and Collaboration
IBSA has gone a step further to institutionalise cooperation, such as NSA-level discussions to improve security coordination and the creation of an IBSA Digital Innovation Alliance. These projects show that IBSA is not rhetoric itself but works in building structures of cooperation. This strengthens its authority as a bloc in peace to influence reform discourse and can provide viable alternatives to the current structures.

Strategic Implications to Global Governance
The IBSA strategic significance lies in its ability to overcome North-South barriers and express the grievances of so-called emerging economies. This fact makes IBSA a plausible systemic changer agenda through matching advocacy to the larger multilateral reforms. Its concerted effort to reform the UNSC highlights the fact that it has to enlarge permanent membership to incorporate the voices of the Global South in order to rebuild confidence in international institutions.

Outlines of a Just Transition Framework

The argument at COP30 on the outlines of a Just Transition framework is an illustration of different conceptualizations of empowerment versus constraint in the developmental experiences of the Global South.

Way Forward: Reform as a Necessity
It is also highlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the IBSA summit, that reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is not only an elective process, but a necessity, which is a clear indication of the urgent need to rebalance international government structures in line with the demands of the twenty-first century.
The necessity of reform lies in the need to adapt to contemporary challenges, ensure relevance, promote efficiency, and achieve sustainable development and good governance. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated, for institutions of global governance, such as the UN Security Council, reform is "no longer an option but a necessity" to reflect current geopolitical realities.

Greater Existence of the Global South
The first necessity is to expand the permanent and non-permanent seats by including emerging economies as well as the historically underrepresented areas. The billions of people in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia add up to a massive number; however, they do not fall under the spectrum of a lasting discussed group. Representation of the states like India, Brazil, and South Africa will eliminate historic imbalances and strengthen the legitimacy of the Council.

The issue of Veto Power and Decision-Making
Repeated use of the veto powers by the Permanent Five has often paralyzed the Council when there is a humanitarian crisis and armed conflict. Reform should be made such that it limits the veto power or makes it strong enough to limit the application of the veto. A more balanced system of decision-making would prevent selective interventions and increase the authority of the Council as an independent judge of peace and security.

Increasing Transparency and Accountability
Another critical aspect of the reform has to do with the process of increasing transparency in UNSC deliberations. Transparency in negotiations, the need to be more explicit in stating resolutions and creating a sense of responsibility to peacekeeping operations would enhance confidence within member states. Through the mechanisms of systematic reviews and checkpoints, the Council can demonstrate its sensitivity to global dangers such as terrorism, pandemics and climate change.

Role of IBSA
The collective activism of IBSA provides a political and moral boost to change. The initiatives by PM Modi, including institutionalizing NSA-level dialogues or building an IBSA Digital Innovation Alliance, prove the competency of the bloc to navigate the discourse of reforms. Connecting North and South, IBSA will be able to mobilize calls to inclusivity, as well as make reform an object of global need, and not a regional desire.

Conclusion

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform, as defined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the IBSA summit, makes it necessary to reshape the global institutions of governance according to the present-day reality. The structural vices that are being exposed in the Council, old-fashioned representation, wrong application of the veto, and lack of responsiveness, need quick redress as a way of regaining credibility and legitimacy. The collective advocacy by IBSA focuses on the expectations of the Global South towards inclusivity, equity, and responsible decision-making. It is therefore reform that is painted not as a political preference, but as the cast iron that is a basis of survival in this harmonious relationship, and the need to ensure multilateral institutions are relevant to the challenges of the twenty-first century.