India is elected as Non-Permanent member of UNSC for 2 years

India secured 184 of the 192 votes far in excess of the 128 or two-thirds minimum

• India is elected by United Nations (UN) member-countries overwhelmingly for a
  non-permanent seat to the 15 member UN Security Council (UNSC) for a two yearterm
• India secured much more than the threshold (minimum number of two-thirds
  which is 128) to win the election
• It may be recalled India has been pushing for a permanent seat in the UNSC that
  has five permanent members and 10 non-permanent ones

Key highlights of India’s membership row in 15th UNSC

• India has won the unanimous support of all countries in the 55-member AsiaPacific Group at the United Nations in support of its bid for a non-permanent seat at
  the UN Security Council (UNSC) for a two-year term in 2021-22
• The development is particularly significant given that Pakistan and China, both
  countries with which India has had diplomatic challenges at the UN, supported the
  move
• India has been keen to hold the seat in 2021-22 to coincide with the 75th
  anniversary of Independence in 2022
• India secured 184 of the 192 votes, far in excess of the 128, or two-thirds
  minimum, it needed to be confirmed
• Others that won were Mexico with 187 votes, Norway 130 and Ireland 128,
  defeating Canada, which won 108
• Several countries, including the permanent Security Council members, the U.S.,
  the U.K., France, Russia and China, congratulated India
• Neither Kenya (113 votes) nor Djibouti (78), both contesting for one seat from
  Africa, won a two-thirds majority
• The two are contesting a second round. In its last bid for the UNSC seat in 2010,
  India had won 187 votes

History of India’s membership in UNSC

• India has already held a non-permanent seat on the UNSC for seven terms – 1950-
  1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and 2011-2012
• It announced its candidacy for the 2021-22 seat at the end of 2013, with
  Afghanistan, a potential contender, withdrawing its nomination to accommodate
  India’s candidacy based on the “long-standing, close and friendly relations” between
  the two countries, as per what Afghanistan’s UN mission had said at the time
• India has been keen to hold the seat in 2021-22 to coincide with the 75th
  anniversary of Independence in 2022
• It will be hosting the G-20 meeting in New Delhi in that year

India will be UNSC President for August 2021

• India’s term will begin on 1st January 2021
• Apart from India, Norway, Kenya, Ireland, and Mexico were also elected for a period
  of 2 years as non-permanent members
• The post of the presidency of the UN Security Council is rotated among the 15
  member states (5 permanent, 10 non-permanent) every month
• Based on that, India will have the presidency of the UN Security Council in the
  month of August 2021 and again for a month in the year 2022
• India was last elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for
  the years 2011-2012
• As compared to the other principal organs of the United Nations, the UNSC is the
  only authorized body under the United Nations that can issue a binding resolution on
  the member states if the members of the Council vote in favor of the resolution

Pic courtesy : businessstandard.com