Question: Consider the following statements:
(1) India was elected Non-Permanent member of the UN Security Council from the Asia-Pacific Group
(2) UN Security Council consists of five permanent and 12 non-permanent members
(3) Term of UNSC non-permanent members is of two years
Of the above correct statement/s is/are:
(a) Only 1&3
(b) Only 2&3
(c) Only 1
(d) All of the above
Answer: (a)
Related facts:
- On 18 June 2020 India was elected Non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from the Asia-Pacific Group.
- India garnered 184 votes out of the 192 ballots cast in the General Assembly
- Along with India, Ireland, Mexico and Norway also won the Security Council elections.
- This is the eighth time that India will sit at the UN high-table. Its preceding terms were 1950–51, 1967–68, 1972–73, 1977–78, 1984–85, 1991–92, and 2011–12.
Other non-permanent UNSC members:
- Earlier this month, Estonia, Niger, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam were also elected as non-permanent members to UNSC.
- These countries will take their seats on the Council beginning January 1, 2021.
United Nation Security Council:
- United Nation Security Council is one of the six organs of the United Nations.
- It has the primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.
- Article 23 under Chapter fifth (The Security Council) defines UN Security Council composition.
- It has 15 Members of which five are permanent (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States) and other 10 are non-permanent elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.
- Each year, the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members (out of ten in total) for a two-year term. The ten non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis:
- five for African and Asian countries;
- one for Eastern European countries;
- two for Latin American and Caribbean countries;
- two for Western European and other countries.
- A member country aspiring to have a seat at UNSC need to get two-third vote from a total strength of 193 member countries.
By-Amar Mani Upadhyay
Links:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indias-unsc-non-permanent-seat-modi-thanks-global-community/article31857249.ece
https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/content/current-members