Introduction:
India was among of the members of the United Nations that signed the Declaration by United Nations at Washington, D.C. on 1 January 1942 and also joins in the United Nations Conference on International Organization at San Francisco from 25 April to 26 June 1945.
As a founding member of the United Nations, India strongly supports the purposes and principles of the UN and has made significant contributions in implementing the goals of the Charter, and the evolution of the UN's specialized programs and agencies.
India has been a Non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for eight terms, with the most recent being the 2021–22 terms.
India is a member of G4, group of nations who back each other in seeking a permanent seat on the Security Council and advocate in favor of the reformation of the UNSC. India is also part of the G-77.
India is a charter member of the United Nations and participates in all of its specialized agencies and organizations.
India has contributed troops to United Nations peacekeeping efforts in Korea, Egypt and the Congo in its earlier years and in Somalia, Angola, Haiti, Liberia, Lebanon and Rwanda in recent years, and more recently in the South Sudan conflict.
History:
India is one of the founding members of the UN. It signed the Declaration by United Nations at Washington on 1 January 1942 and also participated in the historic UN Conference of International Organization at San Francisco from 25 April to 26 June 1945.
India has consistently supported the purposes and principles of the UN and has made significant contributions to implementing the goals of the UN Charter, particularly in the field of peace keeping.
Some years back the then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said: "Over the decades, India has made an huge contribution to the United Nations, through the efforts of its Government, and the work of Indian scholars, soldiers and international civil servants.
India's has been one of the most eloquent voices helping the United Nations shape its agenda on behalf of the developing world.
And the experience and professionalism of its armed forces has proved invaluable, time and again, in UN peacekeeping operations - in which over a hundred Indian soldiers have given their lives."
India has contributed over 1, 60,000 troops to 43 of 64 UN peacekeeping operations since its inception in the 1950s. Over 160 Indian armed and police forces personnel have laid down their lives while fighting for the UN's blue flag.
The first deployment of the Indian armed forces was during the Korean War of the early 1950s.
Other peacekeeping operations in which Indian personnel have taken part include Indo-China (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), Congo, Mozambique, Somalia, Rwanda, Angola, Sierra-Leone and Ethiopia. Currently, Indian armed forces are part of seven of the 14 ongoing UN peacekeeping missions.
Indian forces are in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Congo (MONUC), Sudan (UNMISS), Golan Heights (UNDOF), Ivory Coast (MINUSTAH), and Liberia (UNMIL). The first all women contingent in any UN peacekeeping mission, a Formed Police Unit from India, was deployed in Liberia in 2007 as part of the UN peacekeeping mission.
India at the 74th UNGA Session (2019-20):
Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi led the Indian delegation to the High-level segment of 74th Session of the UN General Assembly (22-27 September2019). He was accompanied by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of State for External Affairs Shri V Muraleedharan and other senior officials.
PM attended high level meetings viz. Climate Action Summit, High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage, and the Leaders’ Dialogue on Strategic Responses to Terrorist and Violent Extremist Narratives.
PM also announced the launch of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)and the initiative of the “Leadership Group”, an outcome of the Industry-Transition Track that India co-led with Sweden as part of the Climate Action Summit.
During his visit to the UNGA, PM hosted two major plurilateral engagements, namely, meeting with the leaders of the Pacific Small Islands Developing States (PSIDS) (24 September 2019) and meeting with the leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) (25 September 2019).
This was the first time, Summit level meetings were held with these Groups and PM announced several measures for enhanced partnerships with countries belonging to these Groups.
Commemorating Mahatma Gandhi’s 150 Birth Anniversary at the UN:
On the side lines of the 74th UNGA in New York, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi hosted a high-level event (24 September 2019) titled, “Leadership Matters: Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the Contemporary World” to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The event was attended by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, President of Republic of Korea Mr. Moon Jae-in, Prime Minister of Singapore Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Ms. Sheikh Hasina, PM of Jamaica Mr. Andrew Holness and PM of New Zealand Ms. Jacinda Ardern.
Participating dignitaries paid rich tributes to Gandhian thought and ideals and the influence it had on their lives. On the occasion, the leaders jointly inaugurated the Gandhi Solar Park that was commissioned on the roof of the UN Headquarters.
The project consisting of 193 solar panels, symbolic of the 193-member states of the United Nations, was executed by UN at a cost of USS1 million. A special postage stamp on Mahatma Gandhi was also released on the occasion.
Written by: Gopal Prasad
Edited by: Gourav Chowdhury
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