Permanent Representative of India to United Nations (UN) TS Tirumurti announced that India will head 3 Important Committees of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) – Counter-Terrorism Committee (for 2022), Taliban Sanctions Committee (also called the 1988 Sanctions Committee) & Libya Sanctions Committee.
i.On January 4, 2021 India began its 8th Term as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for 2 years(2021-2022). Mexico, Kenya, Norway & Ireland also joined India as non-permanent members.
About the Committees:
Counterterrorism Committee:
i.The main function of the committee is to prevent terrorist acts within their borders & across the regions.
ii.India will chair the Committee in 2022 which will coincide with the 75th Anniversary of India’s Independence.
iii.The Committee was formed in September, 2001 as a response to the 9/11 Terrorist attack in New York, United States.
iv.India has already chaired this committee during its tenure as non-permanent member in 2011-12.
Taliban Sanctions Committee:
Also known as 1988 Sanctions Committee focuses on the presence of terrorists & their sponsors in the region of Afghanistan.
Libya Sanctions Committee:
Libya Sanctions Committee, also called the 1970 Sanctions Committee. This committee focuses on implementation of sanctions regime, two-way arms embargo on Libya, Asset freeze, travel ban, measures on illicit export of Petroleum.
India’s 8th Term in UNSC:
India joined the 15-nation UNSC as a non-permanent member for the 2021-22 term.
i.It will serve as President of the UNSC in August 2021 & preside the UNSC council again in 2022.
ii.UNSC has 5 permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States & 10 non-permanent members are elected by the General Assembly for a 2-year term.
iii.India, Norway, Kenya, Ireland & Mexico will join the other 5 non-permanent members Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Tunisia & Vietnam.
Note:
The presidency of Council is rotated among each of the members in turn for one month, following English alphabetical order of members’ state names.
10 Non-Permanent Members:
There are 5 seats for African & Asian Countries, One for Eastern European Countries, Two for Latin America and the Caribbean & two for Western Europe and other countries.
i.India was elected unopposed to UNSC, it was the only candidate aiming for the Asia-Pacific seat.
ii.It secured 184 out of 192 votes in the election for the post of 5 non-permanent members.
Priorities of India during the tenure:
India’s priorities for the UNSC tenure will be Counter-terrorism, peacekeeping, maritime security, reformed multilateralism, technology, women, youth and developmental issues in context of peace-building.
Previous Tenures:
India has served as a non-permanent member of UNSC in 1950, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1984, 1991 & 2011.
Sanctions Committee:
i.They are subsidiary organs of UNSC, and they are composed of 15 of Council’s members.
ii.Their main role is to implement, monitor and provide recommendations to the UNSC council on particular sanctions regimes.Â
iii.They meet regularly to consider reports from expert panels & hold meetings with Member States, UN actors & International Organizations.
iv.Since 1966, UNSC has established 30 Sanctions regimes.
Recent Related News:
i.On September 14, 2020, India & Afghanistan were elected as Members of the UN Commission on Status of Women, a body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
ii.On 29th August, 2020 India co-sponsored UNSC Resolution for Greater Participation of women in peacekeeping forces.
About United Nations Security Council (UNSC):
Established in 1945
Headquarters – New York, United States of America
Security Council President (for January 2021) – Tunisia
