INDIA AT UNSC

1. Context 

2. India at UNSC

• India has served in the UN Security Council seven times previously.
• In 1950-51, India as President of the UNSC presided over the adoption of resolutions calling for the cessation of hostilities during the Korean War and assistance to The Republic of Korea.
• In 1967-68, India co-sponsored Resolution 238 extending the mandate of the UN mission in Cyprus.
• In 1972-73, India pushed strongly for the admission of Bangladesh into the UN. The resolution was not adopted because of a veto by a permanent member.
• In 1977-78, India was a strong voice for Africa in the UNSC and spoke against apartheid. Then External Affairs Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee spoke at UNSC for Namibia's independence in 1978.
• In 1984-85, India was a leading voice in the UNSC for the resolution of conflicts in the Middle East, especially Palestine and Lebanon.
• In 1991-92, PM P V Narasimha Rao participated in the first-ever summit-level meeting of the UNSC and Spoke on its role in the maintenance of peace and security.
• In 2011-2012, India was a strong vice for developing world, peacekeeping, counter-terrorism and Africa.
• The first statement on Syria was during India's Presidency at the UNSC.

• India played an active role in discussions on all issues related to international peace and security, including several new challenges which the UNSC was called upon to deal with Afghanistan, Cote d'Ivoire, Iraq, Libya, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
• Given the threat posed to international trade and security by piracy off the coast of Somalia, India promoted international cooperation against the pirates.
• At India's initiative, the Security Council mandated international cooperation for the release of hostages taken by pirates as well as for the prosecution of those taking hostages and those aiding and abetting these acts.
• India also worked to enhance international cooperation in counter-terrorism, prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-state actors, and strengthen UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts.

3. Politics within UNSC

• The seven previous terms have given Indian diplomats the experience of how diplomacy is conducted in a multilateral setting.
• The five permanent members would like the non-permanent members to be cooperative and not stand in the way of major resolutions.
• This was the time when the Gulf War erupted and India voted in favour of the US-sponsored resolution in April 1991.
• India's vote was dictated by pragmatic considerations.
•  The Americans had made it clear to India, in Washington as well as in New Delhi, that failure to support the resolution would make it very difficult for them to help India in the World Bank and the IMF.
• India was going through a severe balance of payments crisis and needed funds from these organisations.
• Also, India needed the US on its side, if and when the Kashmir issue came up.
• Twenty years later, when India again became a non-permanent member of the UNSC was stronger economically but still had to negotiate politics within the Council.
• Practitioners are acutely conscious that only diplomacy's outward packaging is couched in a commitment to a higher moral purpose.
• The shameless pursuit of narrowly defined interests is most often the motivation and seldom raises eyebrows in the world of multilateral diplomacy.

4. Issues before India

4.1. UN Reforms

• New Delhi has said it is essential that the Security Council is expanded in both the permanent and non-permanent categories.
• It says India is eminently suited for Permanent UNSC membership by any objective criteria, such as population, territorial size, GDP, economic potential, civilisational legacy, cultural diversity, political system and past and ongoing contributions to UN activities, especially to UN peacekeeping operations.

4.2. Terrorism

• The International effort against terrorism is a key priority for India in the UN.
• To provide a comprehensive legal framework to combat terrorism, India took the initiative to pilot a draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in 1996.
• A text of the Convention is being negotiated in the 6th Committee of the UN General Assembly.
• India worked closely with its partners in the UNSC to ensure the listing of Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar under the UNSC's 1267 Sanctions Committee (May 2019) concerning al-Qaida and ISIS and associated individuals and entities, which was pending since 2009.

4.3. The China Challenge

• India is entering the UNSC at a time when Beijing is asserting itself on the global stage much more vigorously than ever.
• It heads at least six UN organisations and has challenged global rules.
• China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific as well as the India-China border has been visible in all of 2020 and New Delhi will have to think on its feet to counter Beijing.
• At Pakistan's behest, China has tried to raise the issue of Kashmir at the UNSC but has not found much support.
• There is some discussion among the strategic community in New Delhi on raising the issues of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Tibet at the UNSC.
• India will weigh the pros and cons with partners on what steps to take in this direction.
  But, the polarising politics inside India gives a window of opportunity to its rivals and opens up to the possibility of criticism, especially on human rights issues.

For Prelims & Mains