Country with a view

I was delighted to visit India last week. I greatly enjoyed working with my Indian colleagues in my last job as deputy secretary general at the UN.

I was delighted to visit India last week. I greatly enjoyed working with my Indian colleagues in my last job as deputy secretary general at the UN. It is a pleasure now to be doing so again, in my new role as a minister at the British foreign office.

Having worked at the UN, and before that, the World Bank, I am a strong supporter of international institutions. It is vital that the world takes them seriously and gives them the support they need to succeed.

My time at the UN brought home to me two things in particular. First, that UN institutions will have to be modernised if they are to contribute to the solutions of the problems of the 21st century 8212; poverty, conflict, human rights, climate change or disease. Second, that it is the shared responsibility of the member states 8212; developed and developing countries 8212; to make this change happen.

The United Nations and several other multilateral organisations, have their roots in the period after the World War II. The states who had emerged as victors found common cause in working together to end the scourge of war once and for all. But the world in 2007 has changed beyond all recognition from the world in 1945, and the United Nations needs to change to reflect the new realities.

The United Nations Security Council in particular must be modernised. The Security Council is a vital body, and one far too precious to be turned into a talking shop, or allowed to slip into obsolescence through leaving it unmodernised. Our vision is clear. The existing permanent membership and the non-permanent category needs to be expanded to reflect today8217;s realities. That in our view means permanent seats for India and Brazil as well as Germany and Japan, plus representation for Africa.

Agreement on reform of the security council will require political will by all member states. But we also need an approach by the aspirant members which convinces the wider membership that they can take on a leadership role which rises above local politics and is directed a finding solutions to global problems. Of all countries, India, as a future economic powerhouse and as the world8217;s largest democracy, is ideally placed to take this role. Multilateral action is, of course, linked to regional policies. The key is to have a global approach to them and here we see enormous opportunities for partnership. Three issues where India can make a unique contribution are Burma, Afghanistan and Nepal.

Burma8217;s military regime has been suffocating the country8217;s people and economy for years. The whole world watched and admired the bravery of Burma8217;s monks and other citizens in peacefully demanding change. We will not forget what has happened; and there will be no turning back the clocks to the situation that existed before the demonstrations. We want to know what has happened to the missing and detained; and we want the junta to realise that a regime of brutality and fear is not sustainable.

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The UN has a central role to play here. The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and his Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari are leading efforts to end the violence and promote a process of genuine reconciliation. Such a process should be moderated by the United Nations and must include Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and leaders of opposition and ethnic groups. There is a responsibility on the whole of the international community to keep up pressure for reconciliation to begin.

The stability of Afghanistan will help contribute to the stability and security in the wider region. We appreciate all that the Indian government has done to help the reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

Another example is Nepal. Here India, the UK and others, along with an effective, valuable UN mission, are working to support a fragile political process and to avert what would be a disastrous collapse into internal armed conflict.

India and the UK are well placed to take a lead 8212; we are among the few countries who maintain well-resourced embassies in Kathmandu and who are also able encourage wider international engagement. I am keen to see this partnership continue, to help Nepal move peacefully towards elections to a Constituent Assembly, which have twice been postponed; the collapse of the political process in Nepal would be very bad news, not least for India.

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It is because our own interests are so similar that I am so keen that India and the UK should more and more instinctively look to each other as natural partners in pursuing our respective goals. I look forward to discussing all these and other issues with those I meet here this week.

The writer is minister for Asia, Africa, the United Nations and human rights at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office