External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participated in the first-ever Joint Ministerial Meeting of the L.69 and C-10 groupings of nations on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Remarks by Jaishankar
First ever summit
- Encouraged by the first-ever Joint Ministerial Meeting of L.69 and C-10 groupings of nations.
Need of reform at UNSC
- The pressing need of comprehensive reform of UNSC (United Nations Security Council) membership in both permanent and non-permanent categories.
Negotiation Process
- Called for Text-Based Negotiations within the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process, aiming for concrete results within a fixed timeframe.
Greater Participation
- The necessity of greater representation of the Global South, particularly underrepresented regions like Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Caribbean, in both the permanent and non-permanent categories.
Support
- The ministers expressed their backing for continued dialogue on the representation of cross-regional groups, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
About C10
- The Committee of Ten (C10) is a group of African countries that is part of the African Union (AU).
- The Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government (C10), dedicated to advancing Education, Science, and Technology,
- C10 plays a crucial role in promoting education, science, technology, and innovation as key elements in achieving the vision of “the Africa We Want,” as outlined in Agenda 2063.
What is L69?
- It consists of 32 developing nations (including India) from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific (Small Island Developing States).
- It firmly stands for expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of UNSC to better reflect contemporary world realities, and achieve a more accountable, representative, transparent and relevant Security Council.
- It derives its name from the draft document number “L.69”, tabled in 2007-08, which led to the initiation of the Intergovernmental Negotiation (IGN) process.