India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for a two-year term, in an unprecedented election where envoys from the 192 member states voted wearing masks and in adherence to the strict social distancing norms due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India, the endorsed candidate from the Asia-Pacific States, won 184 votes out of the 192 ballots cast in the elections for the five non-permanent seats of the Security Council, the world organisation’s most powerful organ.

India’s two-year term as the non-permanent member of the UNSC will begin from January 1, 2021.

Along with India, Ireland, Mexico and Norway also won the Security Council elections held on June 17.

Djibouti and Kenya vied for one seat allocated to the African and Asia-Pacific States grouping and will head into the second round of voting on June 18 as each failed to secure the required two-thirds majority, or 128 votes, to win a seat.

UN Security Council

The UN Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Under the Charter of the United Nations, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions.

The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorise the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.

The Council is composed of 15 members.

Five permanent members are: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 

Ten non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly (with end of term year).

The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis as follows: * Five for African and Asian States.

* One for Eastern European States

* Two for the Latin American and Caribbean States

* Two for Western European and other States. 

Each year the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members for a two-year term. 

To be elected to the Council, candidate countries need a two-third majority of ballots of Member States that are present and voting in the Assembly.

In 2021, India, Norway, Ireland and Mexico will sit in the UNSC along with five permanent members as well as non-permanent members — Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam.

The two-year terms of Belgium, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa are ending this year.

India and the UNSC

This is the eighth time that India will sit at the UN high-table.

Previously, India was elected for 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and most recently in 2011-2012 when Hardeep Singh Puri, now India’s Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs and Civil Aviation, was India’s Permanent Representative.

Less than a year after its term at the Security Council ended, India had put in its candidature for the non-permanent seat in 2013 under the tenure of then Permanent Representative Ambassador Asoke Mukerji.

Afghanistan too was looking at a non-permanent member slot in 2021-22 but Kabul, in a rare gesture, decided to withdraw its candidacy in favor of New Delhi, Mukerji had said.

Immediately after the results were announced, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN ambassador T.S. Tirumurti said in a video statement that he is truly delighted that India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for 2021-22.

“India will become a member of the Security Council at a critical juncture and we are confident that in the COVID-19, and the post-COVID-19 world, India will continue to provide leadership and a new orientation for a reformed multilateral system,” Tirumurti said.

India will be guided by the five priorities under the overarching theme of NORMS: New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System. These priorities, launched by Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, includes new opportunities for progress, effective response to international terrorism, reforming multilateral systems, comprehensive approach to international peace and security, and technology with a human touch. 

A rare election process in UNGA

Voting for the three crucial elections was conducted in one-of-a-kind arrangement in the iconic General Assembly hall, keeping in mind physical distancing and medical requirements due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In adherence to the social distancing guidelines, all UN member states were allotted different time slots to cast their ballots in the General Assembly Hall.

Wearing masks and practising physical distancing, ambassadors and diplomats from 192 UN member states came to the iconic, but empty General Assembly Hall to cast their votes during the pre-determined time slots.

The sparsely-occupied General Assembly hall was in a stark contrast to a packed and brimming venue in previous years when ambassadors, diplomats, UN staff and other personnel used to fill the sprawling UNGA hall during the elections and would wait until the announcement of the results.

Winning candidates would erupt in loud cheers and applause and congratulate each other as the election results were announced.

This year, entry into the General Assembly hall was severely restricted and President of the Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande’s announcement of the election results from the UNGA podium was webcast online for the member states, journalists and national authorities across the world.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all had to work under extraordinary conditions to overcome the myriad of challenges facing us, Muhammad-Bande said ahead of the elections.

Apart from the Security Council elections, the General Assembly voted to elect veteran Turkish diplomat and parliamentarian Volkan Bozkir as the President of the next session of the UN General Assembly. Bozkir will preside over the landmark 75th session of the General Assembly, which opens in September.

Eighteen states were also elected as members of the UN Economic and Social Council for a three-year term.

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