India assumed the monthly rotating presidency of the Security Council of the 193 – members UN on December 01, 2022. This was the second time after August 2021, that India is presiding over the SC during its two-year tenure as a UNSC non-permanent member, duly elected by the General Assembly (GA) of the UN. In a recent press meet, the External Affairs Minister, Mr. S. Jaishankar announced that India has declared its candidature for a new tenure at the Council during 2028 – 29. Jaishankar added that India is looking forward to being back in the UNSC.
The security council has a total of 15 members, out of which 05 members are permanent. The permanent members are: – China, France, Russian Federation, the UK, and the US. The remaining 10 members are non-permanent members and they are selected for a two-year term for the GA. Nathalie Broadhurst, the deputy permanent representative of France to the UN reaffirmed on Friday its government’s support to India and three other nations for permanent UNSC members. The other three nations – France has extended in support are – Brazil, Germany, and Japan. She announced France’s decision underlining the need to take into account the emergence of new powers willing and able to assume the responsibility of a permanent presence in the UNSC. The efforts to taking India as a permanent member of UNSC, US, UK, and France have been backing it for quite a long time, but the Veto is used by China, which is another permanent member of the UN. This could not happen as of now.
UNSC welcomed its five new non-permanent members of the countries on Tuesday, which are – Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland. They have replaced India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, and Norway. Their two-year terms as non-permanent members of the UNSC ended on December 31, 2022. Elected unopposed the last June, Malta joined for a second time, Ecuador, for the fourth time, and Japan for a record 12th time, while Mozambique and Switzerland will mark their presence in the UNSC for the first time. Speaking on the occasion, Mozambican Ambassador, Comissario called it a historic date, and Swiss Ambassador, Baeriswyl said she felt – ” A deep sense of humility and responsibility “.
