03 Dec 2022  |   05:27am IST

Time is ripe for India to show its prowess on a global platform

For India, it is like having two birds in two hands.

The presidency of United Nation Security Council (UNSC) for the month of December and also the presidency for G20 Summit, both have come together on December 1. In fact, it is the second time in its two-year tenure as an elected member of the UN Security Council in 2021-22 that India has assumed the presidency of the UNSC. India had earlier assumed the presidency in August 2021. During India’s December presidency, many high-level events will take place to discuss terrorism and regional security issues that the world faces in the present times. It is an opportunity of India to showcase it prowess in the global platform yet again even though we are not the permanent member of the UNSC who have veto power.

Under India’s December presidency of the UNSC, there are two signature events at the ministerial level. December 14 is scheduled for reformed multilateralism and December 15 is for counter-terrorism. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will chair the events. Both events will be crucial for India as it also has experience in both the topics and has been experiencing this issue from very close quarters.

A bust of Mahatma Gandhi, who championed the cause of non-violence not only for India but for the world in early last century, will also be inaugurated at the United Nations during India’s presidency. India has been a non-permanent member of the UNSC council for eight terms, with the most recent being the 2021-22. India is also a member of G4, a group of nations who back each other in seeking a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and an advocate in favour of the reformation of the UNSC. India is also a part of the G-77. However, effort to get a permanent seat in the UNSC is being foiled so far by one country by using its veto power. The diplomatic efforts by India are on and the ‘pressure building’ tactics to get a permanent seat is at the brisk pace in the global arena.

Also, India’s presidency of the G20, which began on December 1 this year, comes in a fraught moment. At the Bali summit, the divisions in the world over the war in Ukraine were apparent. Indonesia’s leadership saved the day and made a joint declaration possible. It is now New Delhi’s turn to balance the equation while maintaining its own personal relationships at a global level. The task is tricky and tough but it is also expected that the External Affairs Ministry of India will work frantically to find a solution before the September 2023 meet at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

The G20 basically ensures that world’s financial stability and that the fruits of economic development, including technological advances, reach people across the globe to get a common platform to work on. India will have to play a ‘neutral role’ and will need to navigate the divide in the grouping and not just over the war. As a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), India has a rich history of autonomy in foreign policy.

The role of balancing and taking steps for being a peace-maker is never easy. The skills of diplomats will play a key role in the near future, especially when India is taking a leading role in UNSC and G20. It is in fact an opportunity for India and it must be used to gain maximum mileage for image building in the world platform.


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar