UNSC Non-Permanent Members Election

June 10, 2024

GS Paper II International Relations

Pakistan, Somalia, Denmark, Greece and Panama were elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for a two-year term beginning in 2025.

The five members were elected by a secret ballot in the UN General Assembly for a two-year term starting on January 1, 2025, until December 31, 2026

About UNSC Council Elections

The United Nations Security Council is a 15 member body consisting of five permanent members (China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America) and 10 non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for a term of two years.

Rule 142 of the rules of procedure: The United Nations General Assembly has to elect each year five non-permanent members of the Security Council based on the following pattern,
- Five from African and Asian States
- One from Eastern European State
- Two from Latin American States
- Two from Western European and other States.
Election: The members are elected by a secret ballot with 2/3 majority and there are no nominations.
Re-election: The rule 144 of the rules of procedure states that, a retiring member is not eligible for immediate re-election

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India’s tenure as non-permanent member in UN

India has been a non permanent member of the UN Security Council for eight terms (a total of 16 years), with the most recent being the 2021–22 term.

Significant achievements:

Historical concerns: India was at the forefront in the fight against colonization, apartheid and racial discrimination.
Drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: India was an active contributor in Drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with Dr. Hansa Mehta, leading the Indian delegation.
- She highlighted the need for reflecting gender equality by changing the language of the Declaration from ‘all men are created equal’ to ‘all human beings’.
In 1953, the chief delegate of India at the time, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was elected the first woman President of the UN General Assembly
India is the largest force contributor to the global peacekeeping missions

India’s achievements during its presidential term in 2021:

Concept of Maritime Security: The 2021 UNSC presidency marked a comprehensive debate on the holistic concept of maritime security with a presidential statement on maritime security prepared.
Peacekeeping: India also exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UN in support of the ‘Partnership for Technology in Peacekeeping’ initiative and to UN C4ISR Academy.
Resolution in Peacekeeping: India drafted a resolution on peacekeeping focused on ensuring accountability for crimes against peacekeepers, sponsored by 80 member states, including all 15 members of the UNSC.
UNITE aware platform: India launched the UNITE Aware technology platform to strengthen real-time protection of peacekeepers.

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