India’s Two-year Tenure at UNSC Begins

January 5, 2021 Reference

On January 1, India has begun its two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

What Should I know for My UPSC Exams?

Key Points

  • India will be a non-permanent member of UNSC for the 2021-22 term.
  • It is the eighth time that India has had a seat in the council.
  • India will also be the President of UNSC in August 2021. The country will also preside over the council again for a month in the year 2022.
  • This is because the presidency of the UNSC is held by each of the members in turn for one month. The presidency is decided as per the English alphabetical order of the names of the member states.
  • Along with India, Kenya, Norway, Mexico, and Ireland have also joined the council as non-permanent members on January 1.
  • All the 5 newly added non-permanent members of the council join 5 non-permanent members- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Estonia, Tunisia, Niger, and Vietnam.
  • UNSC also has five permanent members- the U.K., the U.S., China, Russia, and France.

India had won 184 votes out of the 192 ballots cast in the elections for the five non-permanent seats of UNSC that were held in June.

United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

UNSC is one of the 6 principal organs of the United Nations. It was established in the year 1945 with an aim to ensure international peace and security, recommend new members to the UN General Assembly, and to approve any changes to the UN Charter. Now, with the addition of 5 non-permanent members, UNSC has a total of 15 members (10 non-permanent and 5 permanent members).