India is the founding member of the UN and it has actively participated in initiatives like sustainable development goals, millennium development goals, various UN summits, etc. India has been doing it since even before getting independence.
India denied the offer to join the UNSC two times in the past, once in 1950, the offer was made by the US and again in 1955, this time it was offered by the then Soviet Union. Cold war politics was the reason behind India’s denial.
On June 17th 2020, India was elected as a non-permanent member of UNSC for a two years term. Till now, India has been elected eight times for two years of non-permanent member seat in UNSC. The last being the 2021 -2022 term.
Post the result of the election, a debate is going round the corners regarding why India should be a permanent member of UNSC? Let’s take a look at the factors that make India eligible for getting a permanent seat in UNSC.
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Factors that can be Considered as Reasons for India being a Permanent Member of UNSC:
- India is the largest democracy and second-most populous country in the world. It is also the 7th largest country in the world. These are definitely considered as one of the foremost factors for India to be elected for a permanent UNSC seat.
- India is presently the 5th largest and fastest-growing economy in the world. This makes it the most suitable destination for future growth and foreign investment.
- India has played a crucial job in fighting brutality and maintaining an overall peace. It is the largest participant in UN peacekeeping operations. India has almost double the number of deployed peacemakers than the numbers deployed by P5 countries. This is one of the major considerable reasons for India to be a permanent member.
- It has a record of making a high monetary contribution to the UN. This country regularly donates to organs like UNDEF (The United Nations Democracy Fund).
- India has never experienced any illegal seizure of power from the government. It always had and presently also have a democratically elected stable political situation.
- India has signed most of the United Nations Treaties and It strictly follows the no-first-use policy regarding nuclear proliferation.
- Presently a non-permanent member of UNSC, India, is one of the founding members of the UN.
- It was the leader of the non-aligned movement and shares a warm and diplomatic relation with most of the countries. This makes India even more eligible for achieving a permanent UNSC seat.
2020 UNSC Election Result
India got elected as one of the five non-permanent members of the powerful United Nations Security Council for the terms of 2021 – 2022. India won massively by securing 184 votes of the 192 votes that is far exceeding the minimum requirement of 128.
Ireland, Mexico and Norway also won the election defeating Canada.
In the past, the United States along with Japan, The United Kingdom, France and Russia have supported for permanent membership of India on the UNSC.
Why it’s Beneficial for India to get a Permanent Membership in UNSC?
- Permanent UNSC seat will help India to globally expand its geo-economic and geopolitical influence.
- Permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council will greatly help in transforming India’s status to a global rule-maker from being a stakeholder.
- This will also help in preventing any possible intervention by the permanent member of UNSC, China.
Conclusion
Many states consider India as a rising power and it is backed up by most of the permanent members of UNSC. Even though it has not achieved a permanent UPSC seat yet, many are hopeful about the country achieving it soon.
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What’s your take on this? Do let us know in the comment section.
