- Monday, February 24, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA will take over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council on Sunday (1) and host signature events in three major areas during the month, including maritime security, peacekeeping and counterterrorism.
In January, India formally began its eight term (two years) as a non-permanent member of the Security Council and will preside over the council again in December 2022, the final month of its current tenure.
“It is a singular honour for us to be presiding over the Security Council the same month when we are celebrating our 75th Independence Day,” India’s permanent representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said in a video message on the eve of India assuming the rotating presidency of the powerful 15-nation UN body.
The first working day of India’s presidency will be Monday (2) when Tirumurti will hold a hybrid press briefing in the UN headquarters on the council’s programme of work for a month.
He will also give a briefing for the member-states of the UN that are non-members of the council on its work for the month, according to a schedule released by the world body.
In the video message, the Indian envoy said maritime security has a high priority for India “and it is important for the Security Council to take a holistic approach to this issue”. Peacekeeping is a topic “close to our hearts, given our own long and pioneering involvement” with peacekeeping, Tirumurti said, adding that India will focus on how to ensure the safety of peacekeepers, especially by using better technology and how to bring perpetrators of crimes against peacekeepers to justice.
He also said as a country that has been at the forefront in the fight against terrorism, India will continue to keep the spotlight on counterterrorism.
Tirumurti said in the last seven months of India’s tenure at the council, the country has “taken a principled and forward-looking position on various issues”. He said India has not been afraid of shouldering responsibilities and acted proactively.
“We have made efforts to bridge the different voices within the council to ensure that the council comes together and speaks in one voice on a variety of important issues of the day. This is what we will bring into our presidency,” he said.
Besides five permanent members of the council – the US, Russia, China, France and the UK, 10 current non-permanent members include India, Estonia, Kenya, Ireland, Mexico, Tunisia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Vietnam, Norway and Niger.
