UNSC - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
News: India
assumes monthly presidency of UNSC
What's in the news?
● India
assumed the monthly rotating presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on
December 1, the second time in its two-year tenure as an elected member of the
Council in 2021-22.
● India
had earlier assumed UNSC presidency in August 2021.
Key takeaways:
● Under
India’s December presidency of UNSC, there are two signature events at the
ministerial level, scheduled for December
14 (Reformed Multilateralism) and 15 (Counter Terrorism). External Affairs
Minister S Jaishankar will chair the events.
UNSC:
● UNSC
is one of six principal organs of the United Nations Organisation (UNO).
● Its
mandate is to maintain international
peace and security.
● UNSC has 15 members,
including five permanent viz. China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United
States.
● Each
of the five permanent members has veto
power.
● 10 non-permanent members
are elected for two-year terms each.
How non-permanent members got elected to UNSC?
● General Assembly
elects each year five non-permanent members of the Security Council. (Two-year
term per member)
● Non-permanent
members of the Council should be elected according to the following pattern:
○ Five
from African and Asian States;
○ One
from Eastern European States;
○ Two
from Latin American States;
○ Two
from Western European and other States.
○ The
present non-permanent members were Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, India,
Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Norway, United Arab Emirates.
Powers of UNSC:
● Its
powers include
○ establishment
of peacekeeping operations
○ imposing
international sanctions
○ authorization of
collective military action through resolutions.
● It
is the only UN body with the authority
to issue binding resolutions to member states.
Criticism of UNSC:
● It
has been criticized for losing
relevance, credibility and narrow leadership.
● Due
to the differences among the P-5 and
other countries, the UN is losing coherence and focusing on issues of priority
to all member states.
● The
council’s lack of multilateralism
has also been criticized in the wake of the Syrian war crisis and the ongoing
Covid-19 pandemic.
● No veto rights leave the
non-permanent members toothless as they cannot
assert their will on any matter of international concern and can merely
persuade or dissuade other member states.
● India
has also constantly pointed to the lack
of movement on reforms in the UNSC.
Need for UN Reforms:
1. Equitable World Order:
There is a need for a more equitable world in order to uphold the principles of
democracy at the global level.
2. Inclusivity:
Developing countries like the African countries, need to be made stakeholders
in the multilateral institutions and involved in the decision-making process.
3. Mitigation of New Threats: With
rising protectionism, increased incidents of terrorism and the threat of
climate change, the multilateral system must become more resilient and
responsive.
4. Membership of UNSC:
Since its inception, the UNSC has been enlarged only once.
Even
after that, P-5 has remained fixed, which is problematic as the membership of
the UN has grown almost four times since its formation.
5. Veto Power:
It has been the exclusive domain of P-5 members, which has been questioned by a
lot of members. Many countries have put question marks on the existence of
veto, which is contrary to democratic principles.
6. Methods of Working:
For example, before a document is adopted, each document must be translated
into six languages, which mostly leads to discussions on the accuracy of these
languages. This process has many times delayed the adoption of texts in the UN.
WAY FORWARD:
● There
is a need to maintain a rules-based,
multilateral system to face today's many ongoing crises.
● There
is a need to generate more focused attention and serve as a call for action in
situations where global responses have been insufficient, and poorly coordinated.
● India
has continuously supported the Least
Developing Countries (LDCs) of Africa and Small Island nations in their
developmental efforts, which has led to the development of India’s image as
a benevolent and friendly country. This could be used as leverage for India’s
demand for a reformed UNSC.
● India
has been the most elected member of the UNSC outside the P5. This position can
be leveraged to show India’s eagerness and maturity to be recognized as a
responsible global power.
● India
needs to build upon its strengths through a diplomatic outreach to the major nations with whom it has friendly
relations.