Across barriers:External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajwith Ivanka Trump in New York on Monday.PTI  

India has extended support to efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump to reform the UN, saying it should include the expansion of the number of permanent and non-permanent members of the world body to keep pace with the changed times.

During a discussion on UN reform on Monday, Mr. Trump insisted that he had always seen the “great potential” of the organisation, but warned that “bureaucracy” was stopping it from realising its potential.

Once a harsh critic of the U.N., he called for reforms — a view India had been expressing for a long time.

“We have said the world body should be reformed to keep pace with the changed times, including the expansion of its permanent or non-permanent members,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a press conference here. “We have consistently maintained the same line,” Mr. Kumar said.

Mr. Kumar was referring to the high-level meeting on UN reforms chaired by Mr. Trump. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also attended the meeting. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told presspersons that Mr. Trump supported the reform agenda of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and was pleased to join nearly 130 countries to support a big, bold reform to eliminate inefficiency.

In his address, Mr. Guterres said, “We are reforming our peace and security architecture — to ensure we are stronger in prevention, more agile in mediation, and more effective and cost-effective in peacekeeping operations.

‘Fair globalisation’

“We are reforming our development system to become much more field-focused, well-coordinated and accountable to better assist countries through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — our contribution to a fair globalisation.”

“We need to bring decision-making closer to the people we serve; trust and empower managers; reform cumbersome and costly budgetary procedures; and eliminate duplicative structures,” he added.