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Editorial Discussion
25-October-2023
25-October-2023

An India-
Canada
bonding
How the United
Nations was born
on this day in 1945
• GS PAPER II
• Important International
institutions, agencies and
fora- their structure,
mandate.
 How the United Nations was born on this day in 1945

● In 1945, on this day, the United Nations

was founded amid a period of turmoil in
international relations.
● The Second World War (1939-45) had just
ended, coming a few years after the
devastation caused by the First World
War (1914-18).
 How the United Nations was born on this day in 1945

● Countries that had dominated world

affairs had suffered a great deal after
the two wars, and there were two
emerging new powers, in the form of the
United States and the USSR, who looked
set to rival each other.
● Born out of the horrors of that period,
the UN was primarily tasked with the
goal of maintaining world peace and
saving future generations from the evils
of war.
 How the United Nations was born on this day in 1945

● Here is the story of its inception, and how

its role has evolved in the decades since.
 The birth of the United Nations

● The UN was born out of the ashes of yet

another international organisation created
with the intention of keeping war away.
● The League of Nations was created in June
1919, after World War I, as part of the Treaty of
Versailles.
● However, when the Second World War broke
out in 1939, the League closed down and its
headquarters in Geneva remained empty
throughout the war.
 The birth of the United Nations

● Consequently, in August 1941, American

President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British
Prime Minister Winston Churchill held a
secret meeting aboard naval ships in
Placenta Bay, located on the southeast coast
of Newfoundland, Canada.
● The heads of the two countries discussed the
possibility of creating a body for
international peace efforts and a range of
issues related to the war.
 The birth of the United Nations

● Together they issued a statement that came to

be called the Atlantic Charter.
● It was not a treaty, but only an affirmation
that paved the way for the creation of the UN.
● It declared the realisation of “certain common
principles in the national policies of their
respective countries on which they based their
hopes for a better future for the world.”
 The birth of the United Nations

● The United States joined the war in December

1941, and for the first time the term ‘United
Nations’ was coined by President Roosevelt to
identify those countries which were allied
against the axis powers – Germany, Italy and
Japan.
● On January 1, 1942, representatives of 26 allied
nations met in Washington DC to sign the
declaration of the United Nations, which
basically spelt out the war objectives of the
Allied powers.
 The birth of the United Nations

● India, which was under British colonial rule at

the time, was also among these nations.
● According to a Ministry of External Affairs
release, “Independent India viewed its
membership at the United Nations as an
important guarantee for maintaining
international peace and security.”
 The birth of the United Nations

● Over the next couple of years, several meetings

took place among the Allied Big Four — the
United States of America, the Soviet Union, the
United Kingdom and China — to decide on the
post-war charter that would describe the
precise role of the United Nations.
 The birth of the United Nations

● The United Nations finally came into existence

on October 24, 1945, after being ratified by 51
nations, which included five permanent
members (France, the Republic of China, the
Soviet Union, the UK and the US) and 46 other
signatories.
● The first meeting of the General Assembly took
place on January 10, 1946.
 The birth of the United Nations

● The four main goals of the UN included

● maintaining international peace and
security,
● developing friendly relations among
nations,
● achieving international cooperation in
solving international problems
● and being at the center for harmonising
the actions of nations in the attainment of
these common ends.
The birth of the United Nations
 Achievements and failures of the UN

● While at the time of its formation, the UN consisted

of only 51 member states, independence movements
and de-colonisation in the subsequent years led to
an expansion of its membership.
● At present, 193 countries are members of the UN.

● The UN boasts of several significant achievements in

the last 75 years.
● It has also expanded its scope to cover a large
number of global issues such as health, environment,
women empowerment, among others.
 Achievements and failures of the UN

● Soon after its formation, it passed a

resolution to commit to the elimination of
nuclear weapons in 1946.
● In 1948, it created the World Health
Organisation (WHO) to deal with
communicable diseases like smallpox,
malaria, HIV.
● At present the WHO is the apex organisation
dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
 Achievements and failures of the UN

● In 1950, the UN created the High Commissioner

for Refugees to take care of the millions who
had been displaced due to World War II.
● It continues to be on the frontlines of crises
faced by refugees from countries across the
world.
● In 1972, the UN environment programme was
created.
● More recently in 2002, the UN established the
UN criminal court to try those who have
committed war crimes, genocide, and other
atrocities.
 Achievements and failures of the UN

● The UN has also met with its share of

criticisms.
● In 1994, for instance, the organisation failed
to stop the Rwandan genocide.
● In 2005, UN peacekeeping missions were
accused of sexual misconduct in the Republic
of Congo, and similar allegations have also
come from Cambodia and Haiti.
● In 2011, the UN peacekeeping mission in
South Sudan was unsuccessful in eliminating
the bloodshed caused by the civil war that
broke out in 2013.
 Achievements and failures of the UN

● On a more fundamental level, its structure

and other organisations associated with it,
such as the World Bank and the IMF, have
been criticised for furthering neo-liberal
ideas – related to championing free markets
and a reduced role of governments.
● This has been linked to deepening
inequalities within countries.
● Further, the UN has been seen as
unrepresentative of its members, particularly
countries in the Global South.
 Achievements and failures of the UN

● At a high-level meeting of the UN General

Assembly in 2020, commemorating 75 years
of the UN, a declaration was adopted that
also set out its goals for the next decade.
 Achievements and failures of the UN

● “The next 10 years, which have been

designated as the decade of action and
delivery for sustainable development, will be
the most critical of our generation.
● It is even more important as we build back
better from the COVID-19 pandemic,” read
the report.
● The goals included protection of the planet
and environment, promoting peace, gender
equality and women empowerment, digital
cooperation, and sustainable financing.
An India-Canada
bonding that is in
danger of snapping
• GS PAPER II
• Indian Diaspora
• Bilateral, regional and
global groupings and
agreements involving
India.

BINOD KHADRIA
 An India-Canada bonding that is in danger of snapping

● The current state of Canada-India diplomatic

relations has evoked a mountain of uncertainty.
● The questions are: what uncertainty and for whom?
● India is a prime origin country of immigrants to
Canada, who have settled there as naturalised
citizens (most holding the Overseas Citizenship of
India, a life-time Indian visa or semi-dual-
citizenship) as well as permanent residents (PRs)
who range from investors, industrialists and
business people, the highly skilled “knowledge
professionals” to low- and medium-skilled “service
workers”.
 An India-Canada bonding that is in danger of snapping

● Apart from the settled Indian diaspora, there

are “temporary visitors” who are
international students, trainees, exchange
scholars, tourists, and their families.
● Thus, a majority of them comprise a
substantial share of India’s human capital
abroad, some of them even costing the
country much in terms of large-scale brain
drain.
 An India-Canada bonding that is in danger of snapping

● According to the Census of Canada 2021, the

country is home to over 1.86 million people of
Indian origin, i.e., about 5% of the country’s
36.99 million population, and 5.8% of the 32
million strong global Indian diaspora.
 An India-Canada bonding that is in danger of snapping

● How are all these emigrants and prospective

ones affected by the ongoing diplomatic row,
with Canada and India curtailing time-bound
consular and visa services drastically?
 The global compact on migration

● Canada and India are not only members of the

Commonwealth but also signatories to the Global
Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
agreement, that was adopted at an intergovernmental
conference on migration in Marrakesh, Morocco in
December 2018.
 The global compact on migration

● Among the 23 objectives of the Global

Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular
Migration aimed at making migration “safe,
orderly and regular” worldwide, objective
number 19 is noteworthy: to “create conditions
for migrants and diasporas to fully contribute
to sustainable development in all countries”.
● But the questions are: who is to create those
conditions for empowering migrants and
diaspora?
● For what contributions to be fully realised?
And for whom?
 The global compact on migration

● The obvious answers are the origin and

destination country governments; remittances
and investments, transfer of knowledge and
return migration for development
engagement; for the two countries and their
migrants, and families, and their diaspora
members.
 The global compact on migration

● Remittances to India are from mainly migrant

workers in West Asia/the Gulf countries.
● PRs and diaspora members in developed
countries such as Canada are the source of
investments in both countries.
● In 2022, India was Canada’s 10th largest
bilateral trading partner (exceeding $13.7
billion). Canada was India’s ninth largest
partner, with exports up to $5.3 billion.
● Similarly, visitors from India comprised
Canada’s fourth largest international air travel
market.
 The global compact on migration

● Many of these traders and investors are

members of the Indian diaspora in Canada.
● In 2021, Canadians visiting India spent $93
million, and tourists from India exceeding
89,500, the highest from any single country,
spent $3.4 billion in Canada.
● In 2022, Canada and India agreed to remove
restrictions on the number of bilateral flights,
which was previously limited to 35 per week.
 The global compact on migration

● Now, there is practically a travel ban with visa

issuance withheld and/or restricted on both
sides, rekindling memories of the pile-up in
visa applications and travel plans during the
COVID-19 pandemic, subjecting migrants and
diaspora to the miseries of uncertainty once
again.
 History and an apology

● Among the Indian diaspora in Canada,

7,70,000 people are from the Sikh religion.
● Sikhs of Indian origin dominate the Canadian
tapestry of the Indian diaspora, coexisting
harmoniously with other religions, primarily
Indian Hindus for over a century.
● Despite the occasional strains caused by the
separatist Khalistan movement gaining some
support in Canada, the strong ties between
the Indian diaspora and Canadian society
have survived.
 History and an apology

● One needs to go back in history to the tragic

incident of May 23, 1914 when the steamship SS
Komagata Maru arriving in Vancouver with 376
Indian passengers was denied entry due to the
colonial British laws in Canada.
● The passengers were primarily Sikhs from Punjab
but there were also Hindus, Muslims and
Christians, all hoping for a new life in Canada.
● A century later, the Canadian government,
upholding multicultural values enshrined in the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
played a constructive role.
 History and an apology

● On May 1, 2014, a stamp commemorating

the 100th anniversary of the arrival of SS
Komagata Maru was released by Canada
Post, and on May 18, 2016, the Prime
Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau,
delivered delivered a formal statement of
apology in the House of Commons for the
Komagata Maru incident.
 History and an apology

● He emphasised the point that Canada’s rich

diversity was a source of strength for the
country.
● He said, “The Komagata Maru incident is a
stain on Canada’s past.
● But the history of our country is one in which
we constantly challenge ourselves, and each
other, to extend our personal definitions of
who is a Canadian.
● We have learned, and will continue to learn,
from the mistakes of our past. We must make
sure to never repeat them.”
 Impact on people ties

● Suddenly, all that bonding seems to be on

the brink of snapping.
● Unfortunately, the present diplomatic
tensions between the two governments seem
to be undermining objective 19 of the Global
Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular
Migration and have cast a shroud over
migrants and the diaspora in terms of
uncertainty about their own status in
Canada and India.
 Impact on people ties

● If the issue is not resolved soon, the strain in

ties would irreparably erode the cherished
values of trust, time and loyalty to the
detriment of the Global Compact for Safe,
Orderly and Regular Migration and the SDGs
globally.
● Our first classroom lessons in rational
collective choice had taught us that
willingness came first, and then ability was
to be created to turn a wish or an objective
function into reality.
 Impact on people ties

● Strangely, in the row between India and

Canada, the abilities of both nations are
already there but willingness seems to be on
the wane.
● The driver for reinstating the willingness in
both governments would be an unwavering
commitment by each side to regain the three
individual values of trust, time and loyalty
of their migrants and diaspora, and above
all their citizens.
• Discuss the erosion of virtues in the Indian Administrative Service
(IAS) over the years. How has the involvement of civil servants in
partisan politics affected the core values of the IAS? (150 words)

• Examine the role of the United Nations in promoting international

peace and security. To what extent has the UN succeeded in
preventing conflicts and maintaining stability in different regions?
(150 words)