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.