Syllabus topics:

United Nations : Envisaged role and actual record; Specialized UN agencies—aims and
functioning; need for UN reforms.

United Nations(UN)

Quotes on UN
"The UN was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save
humanity from hell." Former United Nations Secretary-General Dag
Hammarskjöld, in a speech on May 1954.

“UN is the creation of member states and is therefore malleable to their wishes. It will
succeed , if they wish ,otherwise it will become the relic of the past” – Harry S Truman

“UN is the mirror of our society. It cannot be more successful than we want . It is not UN’s
failure . It is our failure.”

About UN
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization founded in 1945. It is currently
made up of 193 Member States.

Article 1 of the 1 UN Charter talks about the purposes of the United Nations. They are:
1. maintaining international peace and security,
2. developing friendly relations among nations,
3. achieving international cooperation in solving international problems and
4. harmonising the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.

A Brief History of UN :
In 1899, the International Peace Conference was held in The Hague to elaborate
instruments for settling crises peacefully, preventing wars and codifying rules of warfare.
It adopted the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes and
established the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which began work in 1902. This court was
the forerunner of UN International Court of Justice.

The forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations, an organization conceived
in circumstances of the First World War, and established in 1919 under the Treaty of
Versailles "to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security."
The International Labour Organization (ILO) was also created in 1919
under the Treaty of Versailles as an affiliated agency of the League.

In August 1941, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt and British

prime minister Winston Churchill issued a statement that came to be
called the Atlantic Charter.
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.

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.

Article 2 talks about the principles of the United Nations. These principles are:
1. Principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members.
2. All Members, in order to ensure to all of them the rights and benefits resulting from
membership, shall fulfill in good faith the obligations assumed by them in accordance
with the present Charter.
3. To settle international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international
peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.
4. All Members shall refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity
or political independence of any state
5. Not assisting any state against which the United Nations is taking preventive or
enforcement action.
6. The Organization shall ensure that states which are not Members of the United Nations
act in accordance with these Principles so far as may be necessary for the maintenance
of international peace and security.
7. Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene
in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state; but this
principle shall not prejudice the application of enforcement measures under Chapter Vll.
The main organs of the UN are There are 17 Specialized Agencies:
1. the General Assembly,
1. FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization of
2. the Security Council,
the United Nations
3. the Economic and Social Council,
2. ICAO: International Civil Aviation
4. the Trusteeship Council, Organization
5. the International Court of Justice, 3. IFAD: International Fund for Agricultural
6. the UN Secretariat. Development
4. ILO: International Labour Organization
MAIN COMMITTEES 5. IMF: International Monetary Fund
1. First Committee (Disarmament & 6. IMO: International Maritime Organization
International Security) 7. ITU: International Telecommunication
2. Second Committee (Economic & Financial) Union
8. UNESCO: United Nations Educational,
3. Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian &
Scientific and Cultural Organization
Cultural) 9. UNIDO: United Nations Industrial
4. Fourth Committee (Special Political & Development Organization
Decolonization) 10. UNWTO: World Tourism Organization
5. Fifth Committee (Administrative & 11. UPU: Universal Postal Union
Budgetary) 12. WHO: World Health Organization
6. Sixth Committee (Legal) 13. WIPO: World Intellectual Property
Organization
14. WMO: World Meteorological Organization
15. World Bank Group
a. IBRD: International Bank for
Achievements in the last 75 years Reconstruction and Development
 UN Peacekeeping operations - U.N. b. IDA: International Development
peacekeepers have, since 1945, undertaken Association
over 60 field missions and negotiated over c. IFC: International Finance
170 peaceful settlements that ended Corporation
regional conflicts. At present, peacekeepers are in 20 hot spots around the world.
 Decolonisation - Worked for ending Colonial rule in about Eighty nations mainly
from Asia and Africa.
 Human Rights - The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights empowered the
U.N. to act as custodian for the protection of human rights.
 Work of UN specialised agencies –
They have made significant difference in almost all aspects of human life, including
education, health, poverty reduction, the rights of women and children, and climate
change.
o UN’s World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organisation has helped
improving nutritional security.
o UNESCO has been instrumental in protecting the world’s most important
natural and historic places.
o WHO - In 1948, it created the World Health Organisation (WHO) to deal with
communicable diseases like smallpox, malaria, HIV.
 In 2002, the UN established the UN criminal court to try those who have committed
war crimes, genocide, and other atrocities.
 Nuclear proliferation - UN passed a resolution to commit to the elimination of
nuclear weapons in 1946. Countries like South Africa, Kazakhstan have committed to
 ending nuclear weapon research programmes and submit to inspections by the UN
International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA).
 Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals - The U.N. has
made progress with its eight MDGs followed by 17 SDGs to enhance social,
environmental and economic progress by 2030.
 Refugee Rehabilitation - 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.
 Environment - In 1972, the UN environment programme was created. Paris Climate
Deal under UNFCCC.

Some instances of failures:

In 1970, when the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), all five superpowers owned
nuclear weapons and several countries – North Korea, Israel, Pakistan, and India –
developed nuclear weapons.

UN failed to resolve the disputes during cold war era like Vietnam crisis or Cuban missile
crisis incident.

Israeli occupation (1948-Now)

Ever since the creation of the Jewish state in 1948, Palestinians have been fighting against
Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians . Today Israel controls 85 percent of historic
Palestine. It also imposes a crippling blockade on Gaza and continues its construction of
illegal settlements on occupied lands in defiance of several UN resolutions.

The United States has also used its veto power several times to counter UN Security Council
resolutions that have condemned Israel’s use of force against Palestinian civilians.

Kashmir dispute (1948-Now) -

Cambodia violence (1975-1979)

After the end of the US-Vietnam War and the Cambodian civil war in 1975, the Khmer Rouge
regime took control of Cambodia turning it into a socialist country, by using the policy of
ultra-Maoism. The regime carried out genocide between 1975-1979, killing nearly 25 percent
of the country.

Somali civil war (1991-Now)

Since the ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre by the Somali Rebellion in 1991, the
decades-long civil war has raged between rival clans in the country.

The UN peacekeeping mission, UNOSOM, which was set up in December 1992 to facilitate
humanitarian aid to people trapped by civil war and famine, has since failed because of the
lack of government to communicate with and repeated attacks against UN officers.
Rwandan civil war (1994):
The civil war between the Rwandan Armed Forces and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front
(RPF) began in 1990 and lasted until 1994. UNPK mission failed.

Darfur conflict in Sudan (2003-Now)

Some 200,000 people have been killed .

Iraq invasion (2003-2011)

More than one million Iraqis have died as a result of the conflict in their country since the US-
led invasion in 2003.
The intervention and regime change sought by the US left Iraq with civil and economic
instability, and vulnerable to terrorism by Daesh in the coming years.

UN Resolution 1483 attempted to legitimise the invasion that was carried out under the false
assertion by the US and the UK that the Saddam regime was in possession of Weapons of
Mass Destruction.

Syrian civil war (2011-Now):

The Syrian regime launched a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters who took to the
streets in March 2011, with its leader Bashar al Assad saying he would “relentlessly fight
terrorist groups”— referring to the pro-democracy protesters.

The UN Security Council tried to pass several resolutions to address the conflict, but Russia
utilised its veto power at least a dozen times to protect its ally, Assad.

Yemen civil war (2014-Now)

The war in Yemen, which began in 2014, between forces loyal to the internationally-
accepted government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi backed by Saudi Arabia and
Iranian-backed Houthis has turned more violent after a Saudi-led international coalition
started operations against Houthis in March 2015.

The UN has failed to send humanitarian aid, food and drugs to civilians amid a blockade
imposed on the war-torn country.

Rohingya Crisis, Myanmar (2017-Now)

Myanmar launched a major military crackdown on the Muslim ethnic minority.

China stood behind Myanmar on the Rohingya crisis by blocking efforts for the Rohingya in
the UN Security Council.

Challenges ahead:
 1. Peace and Security issues - Conflict between states,violence and massive human
rights violations within states, terrorism threats from organized crime and the
proliferation of weapons - particularly WMD, but also conventional
2. Terrorism: Nations that support groups that are widely linked to terrorism, such as
Pakistan, are not held accountable . To this date, the UN still does not have a clear
definition of terrorism (CCIT)
3. Nuclear Proliferation: In 1970, the nuclear non-proliferation treaty was signed by
190 nations. Despite this treaty, nuclear stockpiles remain high, and numerous
nations continue to develop these devastating weapons.
4. Non-Conventional Challenges -
a. Climate Change
b. Growing population: The world population is projected to increase by more
than one billion people within the next 15 years, reaching 8.5 billion in 2030,
and to increase further to 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100 
unsustainable levels.
c. Population Ageing
d. Refugee crisis: 65.6 million people around the world have been forced from
home by conflict and persecution. They have been denied a nationality and
access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment and
freedom of movement.
e. UN needs to strengthen its expertise in areas such as ocean health, renewable
energy systems, urban design, disease control, technological innovation,
public-private partnerships, and peaceful cultural cooperation.

Moreover, the current pandemic situation has put additional stress on the concept of
multilateralism in general and on UN in particular. Shashi Tharoor rightly notes that,
“COVID-19 has revealed a world of nation-states locked into a destructive zero-sum
contest”. This is evident from the legitimacy crisis being faced by the WHO , one of the
specialised agencies of UN.

Reforms Required
In an interview to The Guardian (2015), former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that
the Security Council must either reform or risk becoming increasingly irrelevant: “If we don’t
change the council, we risk a situation where the primacy of the council may be
challenged by some of the new emerging countries.”

The former United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, in 1954, “The aim of UN
was not to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell.

However, even this modest objective requires timely reforms within the institution to help
it overcome element of obsoleteness .
What kind of reforms is needed?

Reform in UN Charter
a. Article 2(7) of the UN charter doesn’t permit UN
intervention in the domestic affairs of sovereign
states. However, post cold war period require
greater intervention in domestic affairs. UN
intervenes on the basis of UNGA resolution based
on ‘responsibility to protect’.
b. U.N. Charter's anachronistic enemy state clauses
- The “enemy state” clauses still exist in the
Charter and spell out discriminatory
arrangements against the former enemy states of
World War II.
Article 53 provides that “no enforcement action
shall be taken under regional arrangements or by
regional agencies without the authorization of
the Security Council, with the exception of
measures against any enemy state,” thus
allowing, theoretically at least, enforcement action to be taken without the council’s
authorization in the event that the former enemy states challenge international peace
and security.
The Responsibility to Protect (R2P or RtoP) is a
global political commitment which was
endorsed by all member states of the United
Nations at the 2005 World Summit in order to
address its four key concerns to prevent
genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and
crimes against humanity.
The principle of the Responsibility to Protect is
based upon the underlying premise that
sovereignty entails a responsibility to protect
all populations from mass atrocity crimes and
human rights violations.
The authority to employ the use of force under
the framework of the Responsibility to Protect
rests with United Nations Security Council and
is considered a measure of last resort.

Article 107 justifies action taken by the Allied powers against the former WWII enemy
states
Article 77 contains reference to enemy states in relation to the U.N. trusteeship.

While it is widely believed that the enemy state clauses have become obsolete in today’s
global politics, their existence in the charter remains an embarrassment for the countries
defined as former enemy states.

It is high time the U.N. shed its image as an institution created by the victorious Allied
powers and become an organization ensuring a level playing field for all member states
and their peoples in both name and substance.

Why is this problematic?

These states are respected member of the U.N. . For example – Japan pays nearly 10
percent of its regular budget and has been elected as a non-permanent member of the
Security Council for 11 times.
 Russia, for example, has cited in the past Article 107, in addition to the Yalta Treaty of
1945, to justify its territorial claims over the disputed islands off Hokkaido seized by
Soviet troops at the end of WWII.

Japan, together with other former Axis powers, demanded the removal of the enemy
state clauses in the 1990s following the end of the Cold War. - Their efforts resulted in
a General Assembly resolution adopted during the 50th anniversary session in 1995, in
which the U.N. expressed “its intention to initiate the procedure … to amend the Charter,
with prospective effect, by the deletion of the ‘enemy State’ clauses from Articles 53, 77
and 107 at its earliest appropriate future session.”

The enemy state clauses, however, remained unchanged today because the revision of
the U.N. Charter, which is an international treaty, requires cumbersome procedures:
1. It must be adopted with a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly
2. Ratified by two thirds of the U.N. members, including all of the five permanent
members of the Security Council.

P5 members fear that the removal of the enemy state clauses might prompt a host of
demands for more controversial revisions of the charter, including an expansion in the
number of permanent members on the Security Council.

Others think that removal of the enemy state can wait until agreement on more
substantive issues, such as reform of the Security Council, is reached.

3. Structural Reforms –
a. UNGA needs greater role and further powers as UNSC remains paralyzed due to
veto power, it has been suggested that UNGA should be given power to override
veto by special majority. India’s former representative to the UN, Hardeep Puri in
his book ‘Perilous interventions: The Security Council and politics of Chaos’, has
mentioned about the internal chaos in the decision making.
b. UNSC too requires reforms in following domains:
i. Transparency in functioning of UNSC
ii. Veto Reforms – Veto power has effectively disabled the UN and except for
some exceptional circumstances (Korea & Gulf war), building consensus
among P5 countries, for the purpose of collective security has become
next to impossible.
What should be done?
1. Abolish veto outrightly.
2. Restrict the use of veto powers—Veto power should be used only when its
non-use can severely affect a country’s core national interest.
3. Give overriding power to UNGA.

Any reform of the veto will be very difficult: Articles 108 and 109 of the United
Nations Charter grant the P5 (5 permanent members) veto over any amendments to
 the Charter, requiring them to approve of any modifications to the UNSC veto power
that they themselves hold.

4. Membership Reforms in UNSC:

Responsibilities and powers of the UNSC

If there is a security crisis anywhere in the world, the matter is brought before the
UNSC and they try to reach an agreement either through mediation, appointing
special envoys, dispatching a UN Mission or requesting the UN Secretary-General
to settle the dispute.

If the matter escalates, ceasefire directives are issued and peacekeeping forces and
military observers dispatched.

Furthermore, if the circumstances are very dire then sanctions and financial
penalties are imposed, arms embargoed, and travel bans can also be issued.

To “ensure prompt and effective action” the Council was created as a strictly limited
membership body.

The current membership of UNSC reflect post-WWII structure. It doesn’t actually

reflect the changes that have occurred in the international system after the end of
the cold war. Emerging nations like India, Brazil, South Africa etc needs
representation in the UNSC as permanent members.The existing membership reflects
a regional imbalance, with no representation from Africa or Latin America and
Europe being over-represented in the council.

In 1965, the membership of the Security Council was expanded from 11 to 15 to

include 4 non-permanent members.

United Nations adopted a consensus resolution in its 69th General Assembly on

September 14, 2015 to move from Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) to a Text-
Based Negotiations (TBN) process for reforming the United Nations Security Council.

G4
It comprises of Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan which support each
other's bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.

However, the G4's bids are often opposed by the Uniting for Consensus
movement.

Uniting for Consensus (UFC)

 It is a movement, nicknamed the Coffee Club, that developed in the 1990s
in opposition to the possible expansion of permanent seats in the United
Nations Security Council.

The prime movers of the club include Italy, Spain, Australia, Canada, South
Korea, Argentina and Pakistan. While Italy and Spain are opposed to
Germany's bid for Security Council's permanent membership, Pakistan is
opposed to India's bid.

Similarly, Argentina is against Brazil's bid and Australia opposes Japan's.

Canada and South Korea are opposed to developing countries, often
dependent on their aid, wielding more power than them at the UN.

China(not a member of UFC) too, has been dismissive of the G4 particularly

against three of its members for differing reasons — India and Japan
considering their historically difficult relations with China, and Germany
because it is not a developing country.

African Union (“Ezulwini Consensus”) supports an extended SC of 26 members. Africa

will receive 2 permanent seats, accompanied by the right to veto and 2 non-
permanent seats.

5. Strengthening the Financial Resources: All 193 member states are meant to
contribute annual funds for UN general operations, calculated based on the size of
each country and its economy.For 2019, net contributions were set at 2.85 billion U.S.
dollars, with the U.S. asked to pay 674.2 million U.S. dollars. It should be paid in full
within 30 days. However, only a few dozen countries ever comply in time. Added to
this is the backlog of unpaid annual dues from previous years.The Trump
administration has already quit the UN's education and culture body UNESCO, citing
"mounting arrears" as well as anti-Israel bias in the organisation and a need for
fundamental reform. He has also cut support to the UN program for Palestinian
refugees UNRWA, decided to block funding to WHO, and to the UN Population Fund
(UNFPA) over abortions.
6. Reforms in UN Programmes - Jeffrey D. Sachs in his study presented at World
Economic Forum suggests : Some UN programs should be merged or closed, while
other new SDG-related UN programs should be created.
7. UN Peacekeeping requires reforms - In recent years, these missions have been
deployed to increasingly difficult and complex environments. Even as demand for
peacekeeping has increased, core business processes of the UN have not kept up with
these demands. Threats to peace in places such as Syria and Yemen indicate new and
complex challenges. UNPK missions suffer with issues like slow, unresponsive service
delivery;micro-management by governing bodies; trust deficit with Member States
 and with staff; inadequate resourcing of and ineffective implementation of
mandates, and lack of transparency and accountability.

The landmark Brahimi report of 2000 put forth renewed vision for UN Peacekeeping
by making peace keeping stronger, more effective and comparatively cost efficient.
The report called for renewed political commitment on the part of Member States;
Significant institutional change; Increased financial support.

In 2017, Secretary-General António Guterres also proposed reforms in the United

Nations peace and security architecture.

There is a need to shift towards the primary agency for sustaining peace from
international to the national and local level. All the functional areas of the UN can
beleveraged to generate sustaining peace outcomes and broadens the institutional
responsibility for peace .
Conclusion:
UN , with all its flaws, has been the most important platform for dialogue. The UNGA has
given equal voice to all countries , big and small . However, as Former EAM Shushma Swaraj
said , if UN is unwilling to accept the reform, it will erode its own legitimacy and will meet
the fate of League of Nations.

Also the UN needs to ponder on what PM Modi said while speaking at U.N.’s Economic and
Social Council (ECOSOC) that Only reformed multilateralism with a reformed United
Nations at its center can meet the aspirations of humanity.
Syllabus topics:

India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-keeping; Demand for Permanent Seat in the
Security Council.

India and UN
The Indian approach to the UN, in India’s first PM
Jawaharlal Nehru’s words, is characterized by “whole-
hearted cooperation” through full participation “in its
councils to which her geographical position, and
contribution towards peaceful progress entitle her.”

A brief History of India’s association with the UN

India was among the select members of the United
Nations that signed the Declaration by United Nations
at Washington on 1 January 1942.
India also participated in the historic UN Conference of
International Organization at San Francisco in 1945.
India stood at the forefront during the UN's tumultuous years of struggle against colonialism
and apartheid.
India was the co-sponsor of the landmark 1960 Declaration on UN on Granting of
Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples which proclaimed the need to
unconditionally end colonialism in all its forms and manifestations.
India was also elected the first chair of the Decolonization Committee where its ceaseless
efforts to put an end to colonialism .
India was amongst the most outspoken critics of apartheid and racial discrimination in
South Africa. In fact, India was the first country to raise this issue at the UN (in 1946) and
played a leading role in the formation of a Sub-Committee against Apartheid set up by the
General Assembly. When the Convention on Elimination of all forms of Racial
Discrimination was adopted in 1965, India was among the earliest signatories.
India’s status as a founding member
of the Non-Aligned Movement and
the Group of 77 cemented its position
within the UN system as a leading
advocate of the concerns and
aspirations of developing countries
and the creation of a more equitable
international economic and political
order.
With a view to address global
concerns on the proliferation of WMD
to terrorists, India has been tabling
the consensus resolution on
‘Measures to Prevent Terrorists from Acquiring WMD’. , which has recently been adopted.

India has a long and distinguished history of service in UN peacekeeping, having contributed
more personnel than any other country. To date, more than 244,500 Indians have served in
49 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions established around the world since 1948. Today,
most significantly, India has almost twice the number of peacekeepers deployed in the
ground as do China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States combined –
also known as the P5

India’s mediatory role in resolving the stalemate over prisoners of war in Korea led to the
signing of the armistice ending the Korean War. India chaired the five-member Neutral
Nations Repatriation Commission while the Indian Custodian Force supervised the process
of interviews and repatriation that followed.
The UN entrusted Indian armed forces with subsequent peace missions in the Middle East,
Cyprus, and the Congo .
India also served as chair of the three international commissions for supervision and control
for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos established by the 1954 Geneva Accords on Indochina.
India has a long tradition of sending women on UN peacekeeping missions. In 2007, India
became the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN peacekeeping mission
in Liberia.
In addition to their security role, the members of the female Indian Formed Police Unit also
distinguished themselves through humanitarian service, including organizing medical camps
for Liberians, many of whom have limited access to health care services, veterinary support
and engineering services.

The Indian contingent in South Sudan has gone the extra mile by providing vocational
training and life-saving medical assistance, as well as carrying out significant road repair
work. The Indian contingent have received UN medals of honour for their dedication and
service in peacekeeping.
Indian peacekeepers have also brought the ancient Indian practice of yoga to UN missions.
Members of the UN mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL and UNMISS, South Sudan celebrate the
International Yoga Day.
India has also provided 15 Force Commanders to various missions, and was the first country
to contribute to the Trust Fund on sexual exploitation and abuse, which was set up in 2016.
India’s longstanding service has not come without cost. More than 170 peacekeepers have
paid the ultimate price while serving with the United Nations. India has lost more
peacekeepers than any other Member State.

Representation in UN Bodies
India has won several major elections in the last few years including elections to the Human
Right Council (HRC), Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Significant Achievements
The UNGA Resolution declaring 21 June every year as the International Day of Yoga was
adopted in Dec 2014 with a record number of 177 co-sponsors.
Usage of Hindi in UN public communications (UN news, weekly audio bulletins on UN radio
and UN social media) began in March 2018 following the first MoU signed by the UN with
any country.
The first single-country South-South cooperation initiative at the UN was launched in June
2017 through the “India-UN Development Partnership Fund”, a $100 million fund facility to
undertake projects across the developing world.
In April 2018, a US$50 Million Commonwealth window was created under the Fund to
support SDG related projects in developing countries of the Commonwealth.
Following the efforts made in three previous attempts (2009, 2016 and 2017), the Security
Council finally on 1 May 2019 approved the addition of Masood Azhar to the 1267 Sanctions
of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.
The election of Judge Dalveer Bhandari to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Nov 2017
was a landmark event for India in terms of its unprecedented success in unseating a sitting
judge from UK, a P5 member.
Dr. Neeru Chadha became the first Indian woman to be elected in June 2017 as Judge of the
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the period 2017-2026.
India was elected to the Human Rights Council in Oct 2018 for the period 2019- 2022 with
highest number of votes (188/193).
In Sept 2018, UNEP recognized Prime Minister Modi in the “Policy Leadership” category for
pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and for the pledge to
eliminate single-use plastic in India by 2022.UNEP also selected Cochin International Airport,
which is fully-powered by solar energy, for the Champion for entrepreneurial vision award.

International Solar Alliance (ISA)was registered with the UN as a treaty-based inter-

governmental organization with effect from 9th Feb 2018.

India ratified the Paris Agreement and 'Second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol' in
Climate Change in Aug 2017.

UNGA adopted a Resolution in Dec 2014 on recognizing the Indian festivals of Diwali,
Buddha Purnima and Gurpurab by the UN. The first official celebration of Diwali at UN
Headquarters took place in 2016.

India and UNSC reforms

For India, “no reform of the United Nations (UN) is complete without the composition of the
Security Council changing to reflect contemporary realities of the twenty-first century. This
requires expansion in the membership of the Security Council in both the permanent and non
– permanent categories.”

This Indian quest for the Security Council permanent membership, was defined by former PM
Manmohan Singh as “an essay in persuasion” which lies at the heart of repeated Indian
pleas for reforming the UN.

Teresita C. Schaffer recognises this as India’s multilateral “personality,” .

India’s Security Council Calculus

The origins of the Indian interests in the Security Council can be traced as back to the
founding of the UN itself when Mahatma Gandhi felt that India, then including Pakistan
and Bangladesh, should become a veto-wielding member of the Security Council.
But the leadership precedence for independence and managing the difficult, bloody partition
followed by the India-Pakistan conflict on Kashmir moved their attention and interests away
from the possible opportunity of a seat. (Stephen P Cohen)

Later, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru shied away from the highly debatable
offer to join the Security Council by both the superpowers, the US and the then Soviet Union
in 1950 and in 1955 respectively, keeping in mind the emerging Cold war calculus and
steadfastly refused to join at the expense of China

Acknowledging India’s rightful claim to a permanent seat, Nehru wrote:

“It would do us little good and it would bring a great deal of trouble in its train….India,
because of many factors is certainly entitled to a permanent seat in the Security Council.
But we are not going in at the cost of China.”
What are the basis of India’s demand for UNSC permanent membership?

The Indian calculus on permanent membership of Security Council flow broadly from a mix of
three streams
1. India’s historic association with the UN system itself since its independence,
2. India’s intrinsic value and place in contemporary international politics and
3. Its ambitions as a traditional great power in Asia and beyond.

India in UN System:
The origins of Indian multilateral engagement dates back to 28 June 1919 when India signed
the Treaty of Versailles that ended the First World War and created the League of Nations,
the precursor of the UN, wherein India, too, was a member.

India, also the original member of the UN that signed the Declaration by the UN at
Washington on 1 January 1942, participated in the historic UN Conference of International
Organization at San Francisco ,1945.

India, since its independence and even before that, has been an active participant in all
initiatives undertaken by the UN and the various UN organs including the various discussions
on the Agenda for Peace and the Agenda for Development, the Millennium Development
Goals, and various UN summits, including most importantly on climate change.

India also contributed most importantly by being instrumental in establishing the G77 of
developing states at the UN, other than supporting the establishment of various bodies like
the UNICEF on a permanent basis, the UNDP, the UNEP, and the restructuring of the
economic and social fields of the UN and the UN Development Fund.

India’s contribution to Peacekeeping operations.

Financial contributions to the UN

India with US$ 20.46 million ranks 23rd in the list of contributors.

On this, India has emphasized way back in 1993 itself: “…not just the financial contribution
in absolute terms, but also in relative terms. For a country with low per capita income,
assessed contribution as per the United Nations scale may entail proportionately higher
sacrifice. The record of timely payment also should be taken into account.” Adding further,
India asserted: “the financial contribution does not remain static forever, and the crucial
issue is the readiness to fulfil the obligations and not the quantum of payment at a
particular point in time.”

Indian strategic interest in the Council seat has also been shaped by its history of interacting
with the Security Council. In the early years of its independence during its armed conflict with
Pakistan on Kashmir, India paid the price for being “idealistic” to take the Kashmir issue to
the UN wherein it had to battle hard realpolitik of Cold war years leading to UN interventions
over the Kashmir dispute. To prevent this negative outcome ever again, the Indian presence
at the Security Council, it is hoped will ensure Indian interests are not sacrificed at the altar
of great power politics. Most importantly, it will stall any possible intervention by China, a
permanent member at the behest of its ally Pakistan.

Indian interests in the Security Council also flow from the larger, many foreign policy debates
in India on whether it will be a status quo power that accepts liberal norms and positions
itself as a “responsible stakeholder’ in the international system or a revisionist power that
seeks to redefine the norms of international engagement. Many pundits agree that India
would be moderately revisionist that seeks to adjust international norms and frameworks
that suits its global vision, without seeking to overthrow the current international system.

India also always seen itself as a champion, a ‘moralistic force’ of the so called Third World,
the developing states. Former Secretary General Kofi Annan has been quoted as saying that
India has been one of the most significant votaries of shaping the UN agenda on behalf of
the developing world.

India’s Intrinsic Value:

By any objective criteria, such as population(Almost one-fifth of humanity), territorial size,

GDP, economic potential, civilizational legacy, cultural diversity, political system and past
and ongoing contributions to the activities of the UN — especially to UN peacekeeping
operations — India is eminently qualified for permanent membership.

India’s rising economic stature globally has added to Indian claims as well. India is now one
of the fastest-growing major economy in the world, and Asia’s third largest. India’s leading
position in software and its IT-enabled services making it a global technology giant adds to
its increasing economic and trade footprint across the world. India is now counted amongst
the most influential players in economic organizations like the WTO, BRICS and the G20.

India’s newly acquired status as a Nuclear Weapons State (NWS) in May 1998 also makes
India a natural claimant as a permanent member similar to the existing permanent members
who are all Nuclear Weapon States. Though India has not been accorded a de’ jure
recognition of this by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968, India now stands
recognized as a de’ facto NWS due to the nuclear deal signed by India and the United States
in 2005 and the Nuclear Suppliers Group waiver in 2008 to nuclear transfers for India despite
not being a NPT signatory. On the negative side, it is argued by critics that India has still not
signed the NPT, had rejected the CTBT in 1996 and in fact, was the target of unanimous
Security Council Resolution 1172 after it conducted nuclear tests in 1998. But, India’s nuclear
diplomacy after the May 1998 tests successfully turned India from a pariah state to being
increasingly a part of the non-proliferation regime.

India’s Great Power Ambitions:

China’s Middle Kingdome vs Vishwaguru

It would serve as an equalizer to China, its rival and an emerging hegemon in Asia and an
ever increasing strategic and security concern in its immediate neighborhood and beyond.
India has always seen itself as a democratic alternative to the authoritarian China in a
leadership role in Asia. India’s millennia old civilizational existence also demands it to be at
the top of international hierarchy of states

India wishes to shift its international position from a rule taker (a constrained role) to a rule
maker (a system shaping role). The Indian attempts at joining various regimes like the
MTCR and the ongoing, high pitched campaign to join the NSG amply indicate that India is
no more satisfied with being either the target or a mere follower of various international
norms and rules and wants now to shape and align them to suit Indian ideas and interests.

Support from a vast majority of nations - China --only permanent member--ambiguous in its
support for India

Indian perspectives on Council Reforms

The UN Security Council reforms became an international agenda with the UN General
Assembly adopting in 1992 the Resolution 47/62 entitled “The Question of Equitable
Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council.”

In 1993, the Assembly set up an open ended Working Group which discussed on four aspects
for making the Council more representative:
1. the future size of the Council,
2. the categories of membership,
3. the criteria of membership, and
4. the veto power.

The Security Council reformed as back as 1965 when it increased its non-permanent
members from 11 to 15, and increased the necessary votes for the adoption of resolutions
from seven to nine.

The Indian attempts at reforming the Council date as back as 1979, when India’s
ambassador to the UN Brajesh Mishra along with other NAM countries submitted a draft
resolution to the General Assembly calling for an increase in the non-permanent membership
from 10 to 14, arguing an increase in the UN membership as the principal reason.

The 1990s also saw Indian attempts at pressing for UN reforms.

In April 2013 , India called for a conclusion of the IGN process on UNSC reforms by the 70th
anniversary of the UN. India called for a purposeful, result oriented negotiations and
secondly, parity for the unrepresented and the underrepresented.

Five sets of issues have been identified by the General Assembly 62/557 decision on
“question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security
Council and related matters”:
1. categories of membership;
2. question of veto;
3. regional representation;
4. size of an enlarged council and working methods of the Council; and
5. the relationship between the Council and the General Assembly.

Categories of Membership
On the issue of categories of membership, India has supported expansion in both categories
– Permanent and Non-Permanent .
Making a case that there is an imbalance of influence between the permanent and non-
permanent members of the Council, India has called for a “balanced enlargement in both
categories.”
Herein, India has highlighted the need of Africa to be represented in both categories. This
directly challenges the proposed “so called” intermediate models wherein a longer term and
immediate re-election are seen as compensations for a permanent membership.

Question of Veto
On the most important question of veto, Indian position is fully aligned with the G4, L.69 and
Africa who have called for the abolition of veto .
However,India, showing a marked flexibility, has argued that it supports new members with
same responsibilities and obligations as current permanent members as a matter of
principle, it is open to not exercising the veto by new permanent members until a decision is
taken during a review process.

Regional Representation
On the question of regional representation, India has forcefully argued for an equitable
geographical representation and the urgent need for mitigating the non-representation and
under-representation of some regions in both the permanent and the non-permanent
categories. It is “anachronistic” situation that the UN has three of the five permanent
members from one region alone while the regions of Africa, Latin America, three-fourths of
Asia including the Arab states, the entire Central and Eastern Europe, the Caribbean states
and the Small Island developing states remain excluded from the functioning of the Security
Council.

On the role of regional groupings in the selection of new members, India favored the current
practice, viz., each regional grouping would endorse its candidate, to be followed by the
need to contest an election on the floor of the General Assembly for occupying a seat at the
Security Council.
What has been Indian Strategy for reforms?
India has adopted a multi-layered strategy to assume the highly coveted permanent seat in
the Security Council.

According to Stuenkel, the Indian strategy of “revisionist integration” into the Security
Council consists of two components: Maximizing support in the UN General Assembly and
Minimizing resistance in the UN Security Council.
India’s continued leadership of various Global South forums such as G 77 and NAM, it hopes
would garner the much needed numbers in the UNGA.

India has also joined the L-69, the 42 member grouping of developing countries from Asia,
Africa and Latin America. India also, in late 2016, joined as a member the newly founded
group of Friends on UN Security Council Reform created to accelerate the negotiating
process of Council reforms.

However, Mukherjee and Malone highlight at least three challenges in Indian aspirations at
the UNSC:
1. lack of enough Indian government resources for multilateral diplomacy,
2. insufficient engagement with the normative aspects of many UN Security Council
issues, and
3. an over-reliance on entitlement as the bedrock of India’s claims to permanent
membership, at the cost of more hard-nosed realpolitik bargaining in the UN.

Further, with India as part of G4 seems to have limited its options to negotiate a seat for
itself as great power and regional politics would circumscribe the G4 attempts to win
permanent seats for all as a group (Sanjay Baru).

Conclusion

India has to continue seeking its rightful place in any expanded United Nations Security
Council without unnecessarily vesting all its hopes, plans and ambitions in the quest for a
such a status, as the changed world offers examples like Germany, Japan and Israel who
have stitched alternative arrangements that could be multilateral (European Union),
bilateral (US-Israel), regional or creatively/strategically relevant, eg, ‘Quad’.