UNITED NATIONS: India will bring transparency, credibility and effectiveness to the UN Security Council, the country's envoy to the world body has said, underlining that the strong support it has received demonstrates the confidence the international community has in its capability to contribute to the powerful UN organ.
India garnered 184 votes out of the 192 ballots cast in the General Assembly on Wednesday to win the election for the non-permanent seat in the Security Council. India's two year term will begin on January 1, 2021.
This is the eighth time that India will sit at the UN high-table, which comprises five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.
"The strong support at the election demonstrates the confidence that the international community has in India's capability to contribute constructively to the work of the Security Council and the recognition of the fact that we are the world's largest democracy with strong commitment to international cooperation. We are grateful for this endorsement," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti told PTI in an interview here after India overwhelmingly won the election.
Tirumurti said India's victory is a "fitting testament" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's global leadership at a time of unprecedented global crisis. "It is also a reflection of the strength of India's bilateral engagement with member states of the United Nations. The developing countries know that we will be a strong voice for them...India will bring transparency, credibility, accountability and effectiveness to the work of the Council," he said, adding that External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar ran a strong campaign.
On what India's legacy will be for the 2021-22 term, given that from the Sustainable Development Goals, peacekeeping to yoga and climate action, India's contribution to every aspect of the UN's work has been widely appreciated, Tirumurti said "I do not want to do crystal-gazing just yet. India's contribution right from our beginnings as founding members of the UN, have been pathbreaking in many ways."
"Our voice has been heard globally and our positions have been deeply respected and appreciated," he said, expressing confidence that India's re-entry into the Security Council "will certainly bring about the much needed balance given our strong reformed multilateralism agenda and our history and experience in working with UN Member States".
India joins the Council at a time when the powerful UN organ has been seen as divided when it comes to addressing global challenges and addressing concerns of peace and security in hotspots around the world.
On how India would use its tenure at the Council to unify the members and work in a multilateral format to tackle current challenges, Tirumurti said since the time India was last on the Council in 2011-12, the world has changed.
"India's diplomatic agenda itself has broadened considerably, as indeed have its partners in those endeavours. We share with the international community the objective of a multi-polar world. 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas' is today equally relevant in foreign policy," he said.
He underscored that as an "advocate of dialogue and fairness" to global issues, India has the ability to forge strong relationships among regions and countries, and play a unifying role in the emerging international order.
"We have done it before. We can do it now. As a pluralistic democracy and a positive contributor to the security of the global commons, India will bring inclusive solutions to global issues," he added. This is the eighth time that India will sit at the UN high-table.
Previously, India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the Council for the years 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and most recently in 2011-2012.