From January 1, 2021, India started its 8th term as a non-permanent, voting member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Earlier in June 2020, India along with Norway, Kenya, and Mexico joined the 15-member UN security council for a two-year term getting 184 out of 193 votes in the General Assembly.
India was the sole candidate from the Asia-Pacific region vying for a non-permanent membership. Its candidature was unanimously endorsed by the 55-member Asia-Pacific Group in June last year.
What is the UN Security Council?
The UN Security Council is one of the six main organs of the UN and is primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security.
It consists of 15 members — five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members. The five permanent members are the US, UK, Russia, China, and France.
Every year, five non-permanent members are elected for a tenure of two years.
Responsibilities and powers of the UNSC
If there is a security crisis anywhere in the world, the matter is brought before the UNSC and they try to reach an agreement either through mediation, appointing special envoys, dispatching a UN Mission, or requesting the UN Secretary-General to settle the dispute.
If the matter escalates, ceasefire directives are issued and peacekeeping forces and military observers dispatched.
Furthermore, if the circumstances are very dire then sanctions and financial penalties are imposed, arms embargoed, and travel bans can also be issued.
Powers of permanent and non-permanent members
The permanent members of the UNSC have veto power. This veto allows any of these five countries to block the adoption of a resolution. However, they cannot end or prevent a debate through this power.
Unlike permanent members of the council, the non-permanent members do not have veto power. However, they have “collective right of veto”, which means any resolution of the UNSC has to be passed by at least seven non-permanent members even if all the permanent members support it.
Every member-country of the council, including the non-permanent members, also assumes the presidency of the council every month. The presidency is determined in alphabetical order. This allows them to decide the content and theme of the debates, which can draw attention to important issues for each member country concerning international peace and security.
What will be India’s approach & priorities at UNSC
India’s approach as set out by the Prime Minister will be guided by "Five S’s”: Samman (Respect), Samvad (Dialogue), Sahyog (cooperation), and Shanti (Peace), and Samriddhi (Prosperity).
This means in terms of policy implementation,the key points in India’s outlook would be counterterrorism, maritime security, scientific research, technological development with a human touch, and maintaining international peace priorities.
Significance of India’s election in the upcoming term
The 2021-22 term presents India with a unique opportunity to demonstrate its global power and to strengthen its claim to permanent membership on the UNSC council, something that New Delhi has been pushing for decades now. Support for India has been increasing with several countries advocating that the current UNSC does not represent the geo-political realities of the 21st Century.
India’s claim for a permanent seat
India is the 4th highest troop-contributing country at the United Nations serving in 49 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions. A total of 6700 Indian troops are deployed in UN peacekeeping missions currently. India will seek to leverage its strength to improve peacekeeping efforts around the world.
India's clear position on combating international terrorism. As a non-permanent member, India could push for an effective response to global terrorism, by disrupting their nexus with sponsors, stemming the flow of terror financing, and strengthening cooperation with other multilateral forums.
India is the vaccine manufacturing hub of the world. Almost 60 percent (approx. 3 billion doses) of vaccines distributed around the world come from India. So as the world's pharmacy, India would seek to reform the global institution to respond better to health crises in the future.
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