Why in news?
India is due for election to the temporary membership of the U.N. Security Council later in 2020.
Priorities for India to work on
- India in many ways is a sui generis (unique)country, the only example in history of a billion-plus people working together in a democratic framework. Our USP (Unique selling proposition) is that we will bring to it those values and strengths of being able to work cohesively among disparate entities.
- We have issues which are beyond borders, issues of global commons like cyber issues for which there are no regulatory mechanisms or no rules on that.
- There are issues oh high seas, i.e., beyond EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), there is very limited understanding of what states can do and what states can’t do.
- Another area of interest would obviously be technology with a human touch.
India’s Progress in getting the UNSC permanent member status
- The issue of the expansion and reform of the Security Council is not an India-centric issue.
- On India’s membership, there are very few discordant notes, but there are other issues. There are people who feel that matters relating to, for example, the veto are important factors.
- When it comes to expansion, none of those present there as permanent members right now voted in favour. There were some who opposed, there were others who abstained.
- India’s bid for permanent member of UNSC is now backed by four of the five permanent members, namely France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States.
- On 15 April 2011, China officially expressed its support for an increased Indian role at the United Nations, without explicitly endorsing India’s Security Council ambitions.
- A few months later, China endorsed Indian candidacy as a permanent UNSC member provided that India revokes its support for Japanese candidacy.
- As part of the G4 nations, India is supported by Brazil, Germany, and Japan for the permanent seat.
- India joined the U.N. in 1945 (2 years before independence) and is the second-largest and one of the largest constant contributors of troops to the United Nations peacekeeping missions.
- India has also been elected seven times to the UN Security Council.
- India is the world’s fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP and third-largest by purchasing power parity, and maintains the world’s second-largest active armed force (after China) and is a nuclear-weapon state.
- Conclusion quotes: Clearly, a seat for India would make the body more representative and democratic. With India as a member, the Council would be a more legitimate and thus a more effective body.
