Sansad TV Perspective: 77th UN General Assembly

In the series Sansad TV Perspective, we bring you an analysis of the discussion featured on the insightful programme ‘Perspective’ on Sansad TV, on various important topics affecting India and also the world. This analysis will help you immensely for the IAS exam, especially the mains exam, where a well-rounded understanding of topics is a prerequisite for writing answers that fetch good marks.

In this article, we feature the discussion on the topic: 77th UN General Assembly 

Participants:

1. Ashok Sajjanhar, Former Ambassador
2. Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Foreign Affairs Editor, Hindustan Times
3. Prof. Harsh V. Pant, Vice President, Studies and Foreign Policy, ORF

Anchor: Teena Jha

Context: Leaders from across the world convened in New York for the 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), which opened on September 13, 2022.

Highlights of the discussion:

1. Global issues that need to be addressed in the session.
2. Critical Issues that India need to focus in the ongoing session
3. Global support for reforms in Multilateral Forums.
4. Credibility and relevance of UN Security Council without India 

Introduction:

• This is the first in-person session of UNGA in three years, which was restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• It is based on the theme —“A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges”.
• Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar led the Indian delegation at this UNGA session.

Global issues that need to be addressed in the session

• Russia-Ukraine conflict.
• Impact of Climate change which can be seen in the unprecedented flooding in Pakistan, drought in Europe and erratic monsoon climate in the subcontinent.
• The combination of War and Climate Change has resulted in inflationary prices in food and fuel because war carries on with the ecological disaster on one hand, and misery to the people on the other. 
• Russia and Ukraine are major commodity producers, and disruptions have caused global prices to soar, especially for oil and natural gas.
• Global polarisation – partly because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and because of internal conflicts due to economic recessions. 
  • Steeper price increases for food and fuel may spur a greater risk of unrest in some regions, from Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America to the Caucasus and Central Asia, while food insecurity is likely to further increase in parts of Africa and the Middle East.
• The war and resulting jump in costs for essential commodities will make it harder for policymakers in some countries to strike the delicate balance between containing inflation and supporting the economic recovery after the pandemic.
• Polarisation in the UN especially in the UNSC due to issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war, Quad members and China that reduces the ability of the UN to resolve the above issues.

Critical Issues that India needs to focus on in the ongoing session

• UN reforms:
  • UNSC: The veto powers possessed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)’s five permanent members are used as an instrument to shore up their geopolitical interests and it does not reflect today’s distribution of military and economic power, nor a geographical balance. Thus, the structure of the 15-member Security Council ought to be more democratic and representative.
  • UN Peacekeeping Operation: There is a need to include more personnel and carry out structural reforms for the UN Peacekeeping Operations.
• Reformed multilateralism:
  • Several contemporary global challenges have come to the fore such as terrorism, radicalism, pandemics, climate change, threats from new and emerging technologies, growing asymmetric threats, the disruptive role of non-state actors and the intensifying geopolitical competition, all of which call for a robust multilateral response. 
  • To address these issues India calls for reformed multilateralism with respect to contemporary geopolitical realities. 
• Counter-terrorism:
• • The global community needs to adopt the policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism.
  • Terrorism is not associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group. Justifying terrorism in any way, whether on grounds of religion, ideology, ethnicity or race, will only provide the necessary fodder for terrorists to enhance their activities even more.
  • The continued absence of a universally agreed definition of terrorism is detrimental to the shared goal of eliminating the global scourge.

Global support for reforms in Multilateral Forums.

• Reforms in the multilateral institutions are necessary to deal with the new world order as there is a gradual decay in governance and working of multilateral forums and this session provides a watershed opportunity to address these issues.
• To adjust to changing circumstances, countries have no choice but to engage with this uncertain and more volatile world. One productive way to do so would be through issue-based coalitions including different actors, depending on who has an interest and capability.
• The rise in mini coalitions is the reflection of the trend that countries are moving away from the UN towards issue-based coalitions. If this becomes the norm then it challenges the centrality of the UN and results in fractured global governance.

Credibility and relevance of UN Security Council without India 

• India, since its independence and even before that, has been an active participant in all initiatives undertaken by the UN and the various UN organs including the various discussions on the Agenda for Peace and the Agenda for Development, the Sustainable Development Goals, and various UN summits on climate change. 
• India also contributed by being instrumental in establishing the G77 of developing states at the UN, other than supporting the establishment of various bodies such as UNICEF on a permanent basis, the UNDP, the UNEP, and the restructuring of the economic and social fields of the UN and the UN Development Fund.
• India also made regular and significant contributions to the UN. In the arena of peacekeeping, India has remained the largest cumulative contributor of UN peacekeeping troops with around 180,000 troops since the 1950s. 
• In addition, India has always seen itself as a champion, a ‘moralistic force’ of the so-called Third World, the developing states.
• By any objective criteria, such as population, territorial size, GDP, economic potential, civilizational legacy, cultural diversity, political system and past and ongoing contributions to the activities of the UN— India is eminently qualified for permanent membership.
• UNSC without India affects its democratic and participative nature and faces the risk of irrelevance.

Conclusion:

In the current circumstances, it has become crucial for the UN to reform itself and uphold its legitimacy and representatives in the world. Equitable representation of all the regions in the UNSC is critical to decentralising its governing power and authority over nations to successfully address the ongoing global issues.

Read all the previous Sansad TV Perspective articles in the link.

Sansad TV Perspective: 77th UN General Assembly:- Download PDF Here