India has recently appointed T S Tirumurti as its Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN). As a founding member of the United Nations, India has always demonstrated strong support for the purposes and principles of the UN and has made considerable contributions to implementing the goals of the Charter and the evolution of the UN’s specialized programs and agencies.
Understanding the Role of Permanent Mission to the United Nations
A Permanent Mission to the United Nations is a diplomatic mission that every member state assigns to the UN. The mission’s leadership lies in the hands of a Permanent Representative who is often referred to as the UN ambassador. This role is defined by Article 1(7) of the Vienna Convention on the Representation of States in their Relations with International Organizations of a Universal Character, 1975. It states that it’s a mission of permanent character, representing the State, deputed by a State member of an international organization to the organization.
Under the UN General Assembly resolution 257(III) of 3rd December, 1948, these missions assist in realizing the objectives and principles of the UN. They bridge the gap between the Member States and the Secretariat during periods between sessions of the various UN organs. These envoys are posted at the UN headquarters in New York City and the UN offices in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi.
Indian Presence at the United Nations
Currently, eight Indians hold senior leadership positions at the UN as Under Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General. The initial Indian delegates to the UN included statesman Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, and freedom fighters Hansa Mehta, Lakshmi N. Menon and Vijayalakshmi Pandit. Notably, Mehta and Pandit were among the 15 women members of the Indian Constituent Assembly.
India was amongst the chosen members of the UN who signed the United Nations Declaration at Washington on 1st January, 1942. India also took part in the historic UN Conference of International Organization at San Francisco from 25th April to 26th June, 1945.
Key Personalities in the Indian Delegation
Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar (1887-1976) was a prominent lawyer who joined the Justice Party in 1917. He participated in the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms in India and the Round Table Conferences. He held the position of India’s delegate to the San Francisco Conference and was elected the first President of the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1946. Furthermore, he chaired the executive boards of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Hansa Mehta (1897-1995) studied Journalism and Sociology from England, before returning to India to serve as President of the Bhagini Samaj. She played a significant role during the campaign against the Simon Commission. As the Indian delegate on the UN Human Rights Commission in 1947–48, she was instrumental in amending the language of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to include “all human beings” instead of “all men,” emphasizing the need for gender equality.
Lakshmi Menon (1899-1994) and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1900-1990) were both founding members of the All India Women’s Conference. Menon argued for non-discrimination based on sex in 1948 during the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights while Pandit became the first woman elected president of the UN General Assembly in 1953. These individual contributions underline the significant role India played in the UN’s early years and continues to play today.
Last Modified: February 7, 2024