In August 2021, India took over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a duration of one month. According to the UNSC rules of procedure, the Council presidency rotates between each of the 15 members of the UNSC, in alphabetical order. After August 2021, India’s next month of the Council presidency will be in December 2022. India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has emphasised that India will be an ‘advocate of dialogue and a proponent of international law’ during its presidency. New Delhi has also highlighted its priority areas for this month by having organised three high-level signature meetings on maritime security, peacekeeping, and counterterrorism.
The monthly programme of work reflects some of India’s imperatives in the neighbourhood and the world, namely the developments in Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, and the Middle East, as well as the review of ongoing UN peacekeeping missions.
In the UNSC, the Council President has a broad range of procedural powers: They can call and preside over meetings, approve the provisional agenda, issue presidential statements and sign the record of the council meetings. Before the presidency begins, the Council presidency plans the monthly programme of work. In practice, the presidency team will consult the other members of the UNSC and discuss the draft programme over an informal breakfast. At present, the monthly programme of work reflects some of India’s imperatives in the neighbourhood and the world, namely the developments in Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, and the Middle East, as well as the review of ongoing UN peacekeeping missions.
This is not the first stint for India as a non-permanent member of the UNSC. Since the establishment of the Council in 1945, India has held the two-year term as a non-permanent member in the years 1950–51, 1967–68, 1972–73, 1977–78, 1984–85, 1991–92, and 2011–12. As to the presidency itself, this is India’s tenth tenure as the Council President. The details of India’s past presidencies, the agenda items for discussion, and the resolutions passed are given in the table below. The items that have been discussed in meetings are categorised as: (1) National issues, which refer to maintenance of ‘peace and security’ in a particular country or region; and (2) thematic issues, which relate to discussions on broad themes, such as preventive diplomacy and peacekeeping. The outcomes of meetings are divided into ‘resolutions’, which are binding and require nine out of fifteen votes, and no veto from the P5 for adoption, and ‘presidential statements’, which need consensus and endorsement of all 15 members of the UNSC.
India’s focus on South Africa was the outcome of its staunch stand against repression, indiscriminate violence, and racism in the country.
The priorities in India’s past council presidencies reflect the geopolitical developments from that time. For instance, during New Delhi’s October 1977 presidency, the apartheid regime of South Africa was condemned in the strongest words. India’s focus on South Africa was the outcome of its staunch stand against repression, indiscriminate violence, and racism in the country. This was soon followed by the adoption of a resolution under Libya’s UNSC presidency, which imposed a mandatory arms embargo against South Africa. During India’s 1991 presidency, the war between Iraq and Kuwait featured on the agenda, while in 1992 the breakup of former Yugoslavia was extensively discussed before the UNSC.
Table: An overview of India’s past UN presidencies
| Month and Year of Presidency | Major topics in meetings | Resolutions and Statements |
| June 1950 | National Issues: Complaint of aggression on the Republic of Korea | Two resolutions (Republic of Korea) |
| September 1967 | - | No resolutions adopted |
| December 1972 | National Issues: Namibia and Cyprus | Two resolutions (Namibia and Cyprus) |
| October 1977 | National Issues: South Africa; the question of the exercise by the Palestinian people of its inalienable rights | One resolution (South Africa) |
| February 1985 | National Issues: Middle East; Chad | No resolutions adopted |
| October 1991 | National Issues: Cambodia; Cyprus; the situation between Iraq and Kuwait | Four resolutions (Cambodia, Cyprus and, Iraq and Kuwait) |
| December 1992 | National Issues: Somalia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Items relating to the situation in the former Yugoslavia; Cyprus; Mozambique; Angola; the situation in the occupied Arab territories Thematic Issues: An agenda for peace: preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peace-keeping | Six resolutions (Somalia, Yugoslavia, Cyprus, Mozambique, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Arab territories) Four presidential statements (Angola, Cambodia, an agenda for peace, Bosnia and Herzegovina) |
| August 2011 | National Issues: Somalia; Central African Region; Middle East situation, including the Palestinian question; Kosovo (Serbia); Libya Thematic Issues: United Nations peacekeeping operations | One resolution (Middle East) Two presidential statements (Middle East,UN Peacekeeping operations) |
| November 2012 | National Issues: Somalia; Libya; Timor-Leste; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Sudan; the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question; Congo; Iraq; Sierra Leone Thematic Issues: Maintenance of international peace and security; Women and peace and security | Six resolutions (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sudan, Congo, Somalia) Two presidential statements (maintenance of international peace and security, Sierra Leone) |
Source: United Nations
Since the UNSC is the primary organ tasked with the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, many of the agenda items from India’s past presidencies relate to situations of conflict and aggression across the globe. However, the UNSC does not take cognisance of every international crisis and armed conflict. While any member state of the UN can place an item on the council’s agenda, only members of the council can influence the legislative calendar. The members of the P5 play a crucial role in this process—if the P5 is divided on a certain issue, there is a high possibility of disagreement and no resolution, and they will opt to not take up an issue. As such, while the procedure of the UNSC is grounded in procedure, agenda setting remains a largely political process.
The presidential statement focused on the primacy of international law, noting that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is the legal framework for all activities in the oceans.
Moreover, there are two divergent roles for the Council President to perform—one is to discharge the responsibilities of the presidency while the other is to remain as the representative of their government before the UNSC. This can perhaps explain India’s push to adopt the UNSC’s first ever presidential statement on ‘maritime security’. PM Modi chaired the recent UNSC debate on ‘Enhancing Maritime Security—A Case for International Cooperation’ and called for a “framework of mutual understanding and cooperation” on maritime security. He outlined a five-principle framework which covers trade, connectivity, environment, natural disasters and maritime threats, and peaceful settlement of disputes. The presidential statement focused on the primacy of international law, noting that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is the legal framework for all activities in the oceans. This is a significant outcome for India, since presidential statements require consensus of all members and are harder to adopt. While China initially opposed the language related to the UNCLOS, Indian negotiators reportedly helped frame a language that was acceptable to all.
As India’s presidency progresses, it will be interesting to see how New Delhi will utilise this opportunity to push for decisions on its priority areas. India’s focus areas—as compared to its past presidencies—reflect the immediate developments in the world stage, such as the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Nonetheless, the UNSC has been frequently criticised for its inability to take on controversial issues and its archaic membership structure. India, along with other members of the G4 (Brazil, Japan, and Germany) support the expansion of the UNSC’s permanent membership—a move that is yet to materialise. As such, the presidency offers a unique opportunity to India to display leadership skills, establish itself is a responsible stakeholder, and indicate its commitment to global governance.
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
PREV
