India has concluded its presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for August. It was a remarkable month. What was supposed to be a quiet August turned out to be one of the busiest and probably the most productive. We managed to achieve almost everything we had set out for, and also successfully tackled the expected and unexpected challenges that came our way.
During our presidency, we had 14 ‘outcome documents’, five of which were UNSC resolutions. The last time 14 of these took place in the council was in June 2020. The three signing events organized by India clearly focused on issues of our priority, namely maritime security, UN peacekeeping and counter-terrorism. These themes were found to resonate with the larger United Nations membership.
The Maritime Security Program was chaired by the Prime Minister himself and was attended by several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was also the first Security Council (SC) meeting chaired by an Indian PM. We saw the first Presidential Statement issued on the overall concept of maritime security. Despite differences and nuances in its understanding of what is involved in this protection, India worked closely with all SC members to adopt the statement by consensus. This includes the following under the broad rubric of maritime security: United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, terrorism, freedom of navigation, piracy, transnational crime and other illegal activities, smuggling of arms, human beings and others, strengthening international and regional cooperation. to do etc. This document promises to set a roadmap for future discussions on maritime security, a very important area for us.
On 18 August, the focus was on peacekeeping in New York with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar presiding over the session. The day began with a grand ceremony at the UN Peacekeepers Memorial. A resolution was adopted on the Defense of the Guardians, which seeks to protect UN peacekeepers. It was the first scheduled caste resolution undertaken by India in four decades, and it was co-sponsored by all 15 members. A video was shown for the Supreme Court highlighting India’s support for the situational awareness technology platform, Unite Aware, in four peacekeeping missions. This India was talking about establishing peace. Jaishankar also chaired a session on technology and peacekeeping, where the UN Secretary-General briefed the Supreme Court. The first stand-alone presidential statement on the subject was adopted. We also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UN Peacekeeping Institute in Entebbe.
At our third signing event on the threat posed by Islamic State/Daesh, one of the briefers was Dawood Moradian, Director General of the Afghan Institute of Strategic Studies, who left Kabul just two days ago. Members of the SC agreed to a press statement that highlighted, inter alia, the threats posed to parts of Asia and Africa by IS-Khorasan and other regional groups. The developments in Afghanistan gave added importance to this meeting.
The agenda which was not originally set for the SC but dominated the month was the situation in Afghanistan. We held three meetings on this, issued three press statements and passed a resolution. It was important to have a speedy adoption of this resolution, a collective voice on the issue and to bear the expectations of the Supreme Court. The result was broadly consistent with our own thinking on the matter, including the departure of Afghan and foreign nationals, human rights, in particular not being used for terrorism on Afghan soil, particularly by UN-sanctioned terrorists. The focus was on the human rights of women and minorities. and other humanitarian issues. Our presidency helped the Supreme Court deal with the matter with the urgency and sensitivity it deserved.
Our eastern neighbor Myanmar was also discussed in a private meeting where a special envoy of Myanmar’s ASEAN President and Brunei Foreign Minister briefed the Supreme Court.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla chaired a session on the Palestine Question, which has been a priority for the Supreme Court’s work. Several other issues in the Middle East received the attention of the Supreme Court, including the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, to which India is one of the largest military contributors.
The focus was on issues relating to Africa, with an unscheduled meeting on Ethiopia. Resolutions on the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia and sanctions on Mali were also accepted. At our invitation, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo participated in the Maritime Security Program to express Africa’s vision as the leader of the African Union. We are working closely with members of the African Scheduled Castes to strengthen the voice of Africa. Kenya and India were the first two countries to heed South Sudan’s proposal.
Our Permanent Mission in New York had laid the groundwork for the adoption of a number of outcome documents to ensure council consent, engaging with all SC members in an inclusive manner and in a spirit of transparency and housing. At the same time, we do not hesitate to raise issues which were complex and sensitive but deserve to be addressed by the Supreme Court.
There is no doubt that our presidency of the UNSC has once again reaffirmed the fact that India is playing an important role in world affairs.
TS Tirumurti is India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York
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