India assumes Presidency of UNSC

India assumed the presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the month of August on 1st August, 2021.

India’s UNSC Presidency

It was India’s first presidency during its 2021-22 tenure as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.
In this capacity India will decide UNSC’s agenda for the month, coordinate important meetings, organize key events in areas of maritime security, peacekeeping and counter terrorism etc.

Case for India’s Permanent Membership in UNSC

India has been advocating its demand for a permanent seat in UNSC. The following facts augur support India’s case for a permanent membership at the UNSC-
India is a founding member of the United Nations.
India is the largest democracy and second most populous country in the world.
India’s acquired status of a Nuclear Weapons State (NWS) in May 1998 also makes India a natural claimant of permanent membership (the existing permanent members are all Nuclear Weapon States).
India has almost double the number of peacekeepers deployed on ground than that by the five permanent members (P5 countries).

United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

It is one of the six main organs of the UN, and is primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security.
It is headquartered in New York City, USA.

Members

It consists of 15 members — five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.
Every year, five non-permanent members are elected for a tenure of two years.
The ten non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis.
At the eighteenth session of the UNSC in 1963, the General Assembly had decided that the non-permanent members of the council should be elected according to the following pattern: Five members from African and Asian countries, one from Eastern Europe, two Latin American countries and two from Western Europe and other countries. The council's presidency rotates every month among its 15 members.

Functions

It has the primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security and may meet whenever peace is threatened.
Only the Security Council has the power to make decisions that Member States are obligated to implement, whereas the other organs of the UN only make recommendations to Member States.

Election

To be elected as a non-permanent member of the council, each member-country requires a two-third majority of the entire assembly.

Powers of Permanent and Non-Permanent Members

The permanent members of the UNSC have a veto power. This veto allows any of these five countries to block the adoption of a resolution. However, they cannot end or prevent a debate through this power.
Unlike permanent members of the council, the non-permanent members do not have veto power. However, they have “collective right of veto” — any resolution of the UNSC has to be passed by at least seven non-permanent members even if all the permanent members support it.