On June 17, 2020, India was elected unopposed for an 8th term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for two years (i.e.2021 & 2022) starting January 2021 by gaining 184 votes in the 193-member General Assembly. Along with India, Mexico, Ireland, Kenya and Norway were also elected. India was the only candidate for the lone seat from the Asia-Pacific category.
Key Points:
-To be elected to the Council, candidate countries need a two-thirds majority of ballots of Member States that are present and voting in the Assembly.
-India has previously been elected as a non-permanent member of the Council for the years 1950 & 1951, 1967 & 1968, 1972 & 1973, 1977 & 1978, 1984 & 1985, 1991 & 1992 and most recently in 2011 & 2012.
-India will serve as the president of the powerful 15-nation UN body for the month of August, 2021 & once again it will serve as the president for 1 month in the year 2022.
Note – The Presidency of the council will be held by each of the members in turn for one month. For June 2020 it is held by France.
–List of 5 Countries whose 2 year term will end by December 2020:Belgium, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa.
–List of 5 Countries whose 2 year term will end by December 2021: Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, and Vietnam.
Objective of India as non-permanent member of UN; N.O.R.M.S
India’s overall objective during this tenure in the UN Security Council will be the achievement of N.O.R.M.S: a New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System including the following key priorities.
- New Opportunities for progress
- An Effective response to international terrorism
- Reforming the multilateral system
- A comprehensive approach to international peace and security
- Promoting technology with a human touch as a driver of solutions
Also India’s approach will be guided by “Five S’s”, as set out by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi viz:
- Samman (Respect)
- Samvad (Dialogue)
- Sahyog (Cooperation)
- Shanti (Peace), to create conditions for universal;
- Samriddhi (Prosperity).
About UNSC:
The Security Council is the only UN body that can make legally binding decisions like imposing sanctions and authorizing the use of force. This 15 member council has five permanent veto-wielding members and 10 non-permanent members. Each year the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members (out of 10 in total) for a two-year term.
- The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis – five for African and Asian States; one for Eastern European States; two for the Latin American and Caribbean States; and two for Western European and other States.
- Permanent members– China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States
Headquarters– New York, United States
