The world order has experienced a tectonic shift in last two years. COVID-19 pandemic has already shaken the global disposition. Exacerbated situations and political unrest in nations like Myanmar, Afghanistan, Israel, Sudan, Ethiopia, Lebanon, and many others lately, have left the world to realize there is a need to strengthen and restructure multilateral institutions across the globe. India has long been of the view that the structure of the United Nations Security Council fails to fit into the actualities of the 21st century and is in need of an immediate reform.
This very concern of India makes its present two-year tenure at the security council even more crucial, a year of which has already gone by. India’s entry into the Security Council as non-permanent member (from 2021) happened in a post-covid era, and coincided with systemic uncertainty, political polarization, absence of global leadership, and climacteric environmental concerns. In such a scenario, picking the three domains of peacekeeping, maritime security, and counter-terrorism as agenda items, can be considered a good start. But New Delhi, which has for so long been seeking acquirement of a permanent seat at the high table, also had to demonstrate its capability of bringing an unprecedented and effective global change. This got manifested with the rollout of India’s ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative under which it has supplied 1154.17 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines around the world (commercial + COVAX).
India’s sitting at the council is also significant as far as Beijing is concerned as the membership stays as a key with India to keep a check on further Chinese incursions along the LAC. China, one of the five permanent nation at UNSC, had opposed India’s candidature to chair the 2022 Counter-Terrorism Committee. Despite, Beijing’s disagreement, India is chairing the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee today (effective for one year, starting January 01, 2022). “As the chair for CTC for 2022, India will make determined efforts to further enhance the role of CTC in strengthening the multilateral response to counter-terrorism, and more importantly, ensuring that the global response to the threat of terrorism remains unambiguous, undivided and effective,” stated India in its explanation of its vote.
On 31st August, 2021, India had completed its ‘critical’ one-month-long rotating presidency of UNSC, which kept New Delhi busy throughout the month. All the focus had gone into countering the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan & Taliban’s rapid military advance to power. “The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Monday that calls for the Taliban to facilitate safe passage for people wanting to leave Afghanistan, allow humanitarians to access the country, and uphold human rights, including for women and children,” read the August 30 resolution on Afghanistan, that was passed by the council under India’s presidency.
As India begins the 2nd year of its tenure at UNSC, and as a potential third wave awaits the attention of the government within the country, carrying out both national and international discretions is going to be a tough row to hoe.
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