The United Nations Security Council has 15 members: 5 permanent and 10 elected. India has been a non-permanent member of the UNSC eight times, its last term having been in 2021–22. It has now bid for the 2028–29 term.
As the world’s largest nation and a democracy, we are entitled to having our voice heard in the global body.
In 2021, the then UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, said, “Although it is the primary responsibility of the UN Human Rights Council, promoting and protecting human rights is one of the best ways for the UN Security Council to achieve its mandate of maintaining international peace and security.” Bearing that in mind, let’s take a look at India’s engagement with the UN human rights system in the past few years.
The fact is that India has not been a strong leader at the UNHRC, willing to take difficult and principled stands with consistent application of human rights values; nor has it engaged particularly constructively with Council mechanisms.
India has been a member of the UN Human Rights Council for 16 of the Council’s 18 years — most recently 2019–24. Resolution 60/251, which created the UNHRC, states that “members elected to the Council shall uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights, shall fully cooperate with the Council, and be reviewed under the universal periodic review mechanism during their term of membership”.
India has been the subject of 25 critical statements from UN human rights experts and the OHCHR since 2019 —........