International Relations This Week: Episode 87

International relations is a very important segment of the UPSC syllabus. In this series, we present an analysis of the most important international issues and developments that occurred over the past week relevant for the IAS exam. In this article, you can learn more about the latest developments in the UN Charter, G4 & UN Reforms, Paris Club and Russia’s Troop Mobilisation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. UN Charter and India at UNGA
2. G4 & UN Reforms
3. Paris Club
4. Russia’s Troop Mobilisation

1. UN Charter and India at UNGA

Context: At the 77th United Nations General Assembly session held recently in New York, the Indian External Affairs Minister Dr.S.Jaishankar explained India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Introduction: 

• Dr Jaishankar pointed out India’s position on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and reassured India’s firm commitment to the U.N Charter and its principles.
• He also asked all U.N. members to uphold the values of the U.N. Charter. India was conveying a subtle message to Russia to halt its conflict with Ukraine. 
• In the same context, U.S President Joe Biden in his address to the U.N General Assembly session criticised Russia for shamelessly violating the core beliefs and principles that are enshrined in the U.N Charter.

What is the UN Charter? 

• The United Nations was formed as proposed by the then U.S President Franklin Roosevelt following the devastating World War II, with the aim of preventing future global-scale conflicts. It was a successor to the ineffective League of Nations. 
• The representatives of 50 governments met in San Francisco on 25 April 1945, to draft what would become the UN Charter. The Charter was adopted on 25 June 1945 and came into effect on 24 October 1945.
• The founding Charter has been amended three times in 1963, 1965, and 1973.

Relevance of UN Charter:

• The UN Charter is essentially the Constitution of the United Nations.
• It basically defines the rights and obligations of all the member countries and it lays down the mandate of this organisation.
• It specifically identifies the objectives of the U.N and the core principles of the UN.
• It places certain duties and obligations on the member countries and also identifies their rights.
• The U.N Charter also established the six principal organs of the United Nations and the procedures that would govern their functioning.

Key Principles and Objectives outlined under the UN Charter:

• The Preamble of the charter refers to the global community as ‘we the peoples of the United Nations’ taking pledge
  • to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
  • to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and
  • to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and
  • to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.
• To achieve these goals, the UN commits its members,
  • To practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and
  • to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and
  • to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and
  • to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples.
• The UN Charter codifies the major principles of international relations, from sovereign equality of States to the prohibition of the use of force in international relations.
• All the member states of the U.N  have a legally binding commitment towards the U.N Charter.
• UN Members are required to uphold the principles and beliefs of the U.N Charter and firmly remain committed to their obligations and duties that are laid down through the U.N Charter.

India at 77th UNGA 

1. On Russia-Ukraine war

• Since the establishment of diplomatic ties following India’s independence in 1947, relations between Russia and India have been shaped by a “high degree of political and strategic trust”. 
• Over the years, Russia and India routinely took similar stances and supported each other on contentious international issues.
• In light of a long history of strong diplomatic, military, cultural and economic ties, India abstained from voting against Russia in the UN.
• India has consistently called for an end to the fighting in Ukraine and pushed for dialogue while refraining from publicly censuring Putin for the invasion.
• The war has dragged on and now it is affecting the global economy on a large scale with a huge impact on food and energy prices.
• On September 16, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand in Uzbekistan and nudged Russia to put an end to this unnecessary war. 
• In this line, while addressing the 77th UNGA, Mr. Jaishankar explained India’s position in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, saying India was on the side that respected the UN charter and on the side of peace.

     2.  India’s Neighbourhood Challenges:

• The Indian delegation used the opportunity at the U.N General Assembly to highlight the key challenges it is facing in its neighbourhood and how India is assisting its neighbours who are going through a grave crisis.
• Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka is experiencing a historic economic crisis with massive public unrest and suffering that are in demand of effective measures. India has provided financial and commodity assistance to the country. 
• Myanmar: The country is battling an unprecedented political crisis, with the military junta killing an estimated 1,000 lives. India has dispatched food assistance to help out the people of Myanmar who are suffering as a result of the emergency declared.
• Afghanistan: India in response to the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people provided food assistance, and medicines including COVID vaccines.
• India’s involvement and assistance in the neighbourhood countries in South Asia and beyond South Asia clearly project India as a responsible and leading power in the region.
• This justifies India’s position to take on such key challenges and assist other countries to protect human rights and assist to end conflicts to stabilise the region in line with the principles and the mandate of the U.N Charter.

2. G4 & UN Reforms

Context:  G4 countries in the recent UNGA session highlighted the ‘urgent need’ for reform in the UN Security Council.

Introduction:

• The Group of Four (G4) nations consists of India, Germany, Brazil and Japan.
  • The key focus of the group is to bring about reforms in the UN Security Council (UNSC) and seek permanent membership for G4 members in UNSC.
• The G4 countries also reiterated the need for the representation of African countries in the permanent and non-permanent capacity of the UNSC.
• The G4 countries in their joint statement also urged immediate reforms of the UN decision-making bodies as the global issues are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected.
• The G4 ministers also raised concerns about the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly which failed to make any significant progress in the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN), which has been constrained by a lack of transparency.

Read more on the Credibility and relevance of the UN Security Council without India

3. Paris Club

Context: Pakistan is seeking rescheduling of debt repayment for the third time in the past 20 years from the Paris Club.

Introduction: 

• Pakistan is seeking rescheduling of $10 billion-worth debt owed to the Paris Club countries as it battles with twin crises of financial crunch and floods.
• Earlier, the Paris Club rescheduled Pakistan loans for 15 years. For the second time, the debt was rolled over for three to four years in the aftermath of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Paris Club:

• It is an informal group of creditor nations focused on dealing with borrower nations that face difficulty in paying back their loans. 
• The group is organised around the principles that each debtor nation be treated case by case, with consensus, conditionality, solidarity, and comparability of treatment.
• The Paris Club treats debts due by governments of debtor countries and certain private sector entities as guaranteed by the public sector to Paris Club members. 
• It offers a standard set of tiered terms for debt treatment, ranging from rescheduling payments at market rates to cancellation of up to 90% of certain debts. 
• The exact set of terms offered to each debtor is on a case-by-case basis based on their position, characteristics, and track record of repayment.
• The origin of the club is traced to a meeting that happened in Paris between officials from Argentina, which had trouble paying back its debt, with a group of lenders in 1956. 

Members of Paris Club: 

• It has 22 permanent members which include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.
• India is an observer state of the Paris Club since 2019.
• The Paris Forum is an annual event, jointly organised by the Paris Club and the rotating Presidency of the G20.

Crisis in Pakistan:

• Pakistan’s economy has been facing serious challenges over the past few years due to numerous reasons.
• Inflation in Pakistan hit a record 47-year high in August 2022 with consumer prices rising 27.26% from a year earlier.
• The sovereign debt of Pakistan exceeds $250 billion, and “external debt and other payments” have cut foreign exchange reserves to less than $9 billion, enough for just six weeks of imports.
• Pakistan’s public sector external debt stood at $97 billion as of June this year, of which it owed $9.7 billion to the Paris Club, according to the Ministry of Finance documents.
• Grey-listing by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) caused “cumulative real GDP losses of approximately $38 billion” between 2008 and 2019 to Pakistan.
• Recent floods in the country also resulted in an estimated economic loss of around USD 18 billion. The catastrophic floods have destroyed crops on 8.25 million acres which has further increased the economic losses.
• This year, Pakistan is scheduled to return $1.1 billion of Paris Club debt out of the total of $10 billion. 
• Some $400 million of Japanese debt is maturing this year, followed by $300 million from France, $200 million from the US and around $100 million from Germany. 
• The rescheduling of the $1.1 billion Paris Club debt will immediately create breathing space of about ₹260 billion that the country can utilise to help flood victims.

4. Russia’s Troop Mobilisation

Context: Recently, President Vladimir Putin announced a partial troop mobilisation in Russia.

Introduction:

• Troop mobilisation, for any kind of war, includes the procurement and training of manpower for military purposes.
• The Troop Mobilisation in Russia is, for now, officially described as a partial one that will steadily draw in 300,000 reservists who have previously served in the Russian army and have combat experience or specialised military skills. 
• This is Russia’s first mobilisation since World War II.
• The reservists’ main task will be to reinforce the front line in Ukraine. 
• Russia’s parliament has passed legislation imposing criminal penalties on soldiers for desertion, surrender or refusal to follow orders during “mobilisation” and “martial law.”
• The United States maintains a similar system called the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). This consists of military personnel who have completed their active-duty commitment but not their full eight-year military requirement.

Reasons behind the move:

• Recently, Russian forces abandoned one of the war’s principal front lines in northeastern Ukraine after Ukrainian forces made a rapid advance.
• The Ukraine military has reclaimed its territory in the southern and eastern parts after a counterattack that dealt a heavy blow to Russian forces.
• Ukrainian forces have advanced north from Kharkiv to within 50km of the border with Russia and are also pressing to the south and east in the same region.
• Both sides have sustained punishing losses of lives and material.
• Fierce Ukrainian resistance, backed by Western-supplied weapons systems, made Russia pull back its troops from areas near Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and other major cities.
• The retreat from the city of Izium marked Russian forces’ worst defeat since they were pushed back from the capital Kyiv in March 2022, as thousands of Russian soldiers left behind ammunition and equipment as they fled.

Image Source: Aljazeera

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