Date: 19/10/2022

Relevance: GS-2: Important International institutions, agencies, and fora their structure, mandate.

Key Phrases: Permanent Membership Of UNSC, Principle Of Non-Alignment And Conviction In Panchsheel, Global Rule-Maker, Multi-Polarisation Of The World, Rise Of New Power Centers, China: A Stumbling Block In India’s Path

Context:

• The voices are being raised by South Asia, Africa, and Latin America against the structure of UNSC as they remain underrepresented and are unable to participate in addressing global concerns such as the arms race, climate change, multi-polarisation of the world, rise of new power centers, globalization, terrorism, human rights violations, refugee crisis, amongst other growing global concerns.

Key Highlights:

• The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was formed in 1945 immediately after the end of the Second World War to maintain peace and security in the world.
• The structure of the UNSC largely remains unchanged despite the significant shifts in the global order such as-
  • a significant rise in the number of UN member countries after decolonization;
  • a shift to a multipolar world from a bipolar one;
  • population explosion, from 2.2 billion to nearly 7.7 billion, amongst others.
• It continues to have five permanent members (P5)—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US) and 10 non-permanent members, as it continues to sideline Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Reasons behind India’s bid to UNSC:

• Amongst all the aspirants who want to be a permanent member of the UNSC, India is the most obvious and least controversial one which has emerged as a major global power center.
• Its membership bid rests on the fact that it is one of the founder members of the UN, currently serves as a non-permanent member, is the largest democracy, is the second most populous country, and the fifth largest and fastest growing economy.
• Moreover, India has been actively engaging itself in all the forums concerning climate change, sustainable development goals, millennium development goals, and other UN Summits.
• India also represents the interests of most of the underdeveloped and developing countries of the world.
• Its adherence to the principle of non-alignment and conviction in Panchsheel— Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence—that focuses on non-interference by one country in the internal affairs of the other has substantially promoted peace and stability in the world.
• India intends to be a global rule-maker, and, therefore, wants to be a member of the expanded UNSC permanent category to have a greater say in the emerging international order.

Need for the structuring of UNSC:

• For the UNSC to reflect the present geopolitical realities, India believes that the UNSC, along with other international institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organisation, require a structural revamp.
• However, owing to the lack of consensus among the P5 members of the UNSC, India has so far remained excluded from UNSC permanent member category.

China: A stumbling block in India’s path:

• The problem for India, Africa, and Latin America is that they cannot be part of the permanent body until a consensus is built among the P5 for its reforms.
• The veto power equips the P5 members with the power to block the entry of other countries into the UNSC.
• Among the five permanent members of the UNSC, four countries, including the US, UK, France, and Russia have bilaterally extended their support for India’s candidature for the permanent seat in the expanded UNSC, but China has obstructed its inclusion.
• Countries such as Pakistan, North Korea, and Italy, which are China’s close allies, have also been opposing India’s candidature for permanent membership in the UNSC.
• To sideline India, China instead proposes the inclusion of small and medium-sized countries

Steps taken by India to gain International support:

• The Government of India has accorded the highest priority to its stand on getting a permanent seat in the expanded UNSC despite all these challenges.
• To get the international support needed, it has been actively raising this issue in all important bilateral and multilateral forums.
• To strengthen its stand for reforms in some of these multilateral forums, India, of late, has been aligning with multilateral groupings such as the IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) and the reform-oriented countries in the G4 nations (Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan) as they are also aspirants for the permanent membership of the UNSC and with the L.69 Group—a cross-regional group of countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Conclusion:

• Expansion of the permanent and non-permanent bodies is long overdue and they must include countries such as India, considering its geographical size; enormous population; economic growth; democratic system; political stability; soft, military, and nuclear power; apart from its undisputed role in South Asian affairs.
• Moreover, India will gain the voice to represent the issues of the other underdeveloped South Asian nations in the global fora and will have a say in challenging its unilateral working style with the unquestioned authority of permanent members of the UNSC.
• Reforms are also necessary to make the UNSC more legitimate, effective, and representative in character and also to correct historical injustices in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Source: ORF-Online

Mains Question:

Q. Reforms are necessary to make the UNSC more legitimate, effective, and representative in character and also to correct historical injustices in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Examine. (150 words).