India \'very likely\' to win non-permanent UN security council seat on June 17

New Delhi: India on Friday said it is “very likely” to win an elected non-permanent seat on June 17 to the 15-member UN Security Council (UNSC) for the two year-term 2021-22.

It also listed its five priorities at the UN including an effective response to international terrorism and said its “overall objective” would be its new approach for reforms in global multilateral institutions. New Delhi said its confidence in electoral victory stemmed from the fact that it is the “single endorsed candidate of the Asia-Pacific Group”. This would be India’s eighth term on the UN Security Council once it is elected.

The Government asserted that it would focus on principles such as respect and policies such as dialogue and cooperation to achieve its aims at the UN. It also emphasised India’s “long-standing role as a voice of moderation, an advocate of dialogue, and a proponent of international law”.

It may be recalled India has been pushing for a permanent seat in the UNSC that has five permanent members and 10 non-permanent ones. The five permanent members of the UNSC—called the “P-5”—are the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China. It is India’s belief that global multilateral institutions like the United Nations itself need reform now as they do not reflect the realities of the contemporary world. The menace of terrorism has also been a key concern of India which faces cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India’s five priorities would be “New Opportunities for progress, An Effective response to international terrorism, Reforming the multilateral system, a comprehensive approach to international peace and security, and Promoting technology with a human touch as a driver of solutions”. It added that its “overall objective during this tenure in the UN Security Council will be the achievement of N.O.R.M.S: a New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System”.

Launching a brochure on Friday morning, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India’s approach will be guided by the “Five S’s”, as listed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which are---“Samman (Respect), Samvad (Dialogue), Sahyog (Cooperation), and Shanti (Peace), to create conditions for universal Samriddhi (Prosperity)”.

The MEA said, “As a single endorsed candidate of the Asia-Pacific Group, India’s candidature is very likely to succeed. In this case, this would be India’s eighth term on the UN Security Council; this two-year tenure will start in January 2021.” 

New Delhi also referred to “both new and continuing traditional challenges to international peace and security” that the UNSC will need to confront. According to recent news agency reports from the UN, the voting is through secret ballot although there have been certain “new voting arrangements” put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It further said, “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has further contributed to a more complex international economic and political environment, including by limiting the capacity of States to respond to local, regional and global challenges.”