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As a candidate for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council, India has said that it will focus more on development, support greater involvement of women and youth in policy making and adopt a comprehensive approach to peace and security, guided by dialogue, mutual respect and international law.
“We have always been a voice of reason and a votary of international law. We advocate dialogue, consultation and fairness in our approach to global issues,” Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar said in his remarks during launch of India’s priorities for its candidature for the UN Security Council 2021-22.
India is all set to get elected as it is the single endorsed candidate for the Asia-Pacific seat in the non-permanent member category. The elections for five non-permanent members, for a two-year term starting January 2021, will be held by the UN General Assembly on June 17.
Mexico, too, is likely to get elected as it is the only candidate for the one Latin America and Caribbean seat. Canada, Ireland and Norway have to fight it out for the two seats allocated for Western Europe and other countries category. Kenya and Djibouti, too, will have to compete for the seat available for the African group.
Once elected, this will be India’s eighth stint as a non-permanent member of the UNSC. It last got elected a decade ago and the world was now facing four very different challenges to international peace and security, Jaishankar said.
The normal process of international governance has been under increasing strain as frictions have increased, he said.
Traditional and non-traditional security challenges, such as terrorism, continued to grow unchecked. Global institutions remained unreformed and under-representative and the Covid-19 pandemic and its grave economic repercussions was set to test the world like never before, the Minister added.
India has been advocating reforms to the Security Council and has been seeking a permanent membership of the Council but China has been thwarting New Delhi’s efforts because of its veto power. The body has five permanent members, China, France, Russia, the UK and the US.
The 2021-22 term will be critical for India to advocate reforms in the Security Council which could help it get its permanent membership.
India’s priorities would include seeking responsible and inclusive solutions, pushing for concrete and result-oriented action at the Security Council for an effective response to international terrorism, aiming for reformed multi-lateralism to reflect contemporary realities and going for a comprehensive approach to peace and security, guided by dialogue, mutual respect, commitment to international law, for which we also hope to help streamline UN Peacekeeping.
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