Former British PM Cameron backs India's bid for permanent seat at UNSC

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Former British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday joined several global leaders who are batting strongly for India getting a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), insisting that the world needs to hear India's perspective on several major challenges. 

"We do need a reset. The world has changed hugely since the institutions were set up after the Second World War. It is time for a reset because you see the rise of India which will become the world's largest economy at some stage in this century and countries like India should be at its heart," Cameron said while speaking at the two-day NDTV World Summit which kicked off in New Delhi on Monday.

Cameron, who spoke just after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 'NDTV World Summit 2024 - The India Century', said that he was an "early believer" in the "India Century".

"We do need a reform of the United Nations Security Council. I made this argument as far back as 2005 when I became a leader of the Conservative Party and India was the first country I visited outside Europe. When I became PM, India was the first country I visited outside Europe in 2010... Obviously, a permanent seat in the UN Security Council is something that should be India's right in this changed world," he said.

While the world decides on UN reforms, Cameron - the British PM from May 2010 until July 2016 and Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs between November 2023 and July 2024 - hailed India's growing prowess globally.

"Good to see India takes its place in more informal global institutions like the Quad, its role in the G20 - India is invited almost as a standing member of the G7 now. These are all good moves because we need India's perspective on these challenges that we face in our world," he mentioned.

Earlier, PM Modi launched 'NDTV World' - the new channel from the NDTV stable - as he inaugurated the NDTV World Summit where he laid out his vision for a developed India by 2047.

During his address, Prime Minister Modi pointed out that, even as the world is battling several major issues, India is discussing the 'The Indian Century' right now.

"In the midst of global instability, India is a ray of hope. It is not that we are not affected by global concerns, but there is a sense of positivity that we feel in India. India has emerged as a beacon of hope," he stated.

Following Prime Minister Modi and Cameron, Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay, Barbados PM Mia Mottley, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and several other noted personalities from all walks of life will be addressing and discussing key global issues at the key summit.