UN Security Council: India, Ireland, Mexico secure temporary seats; Canada loses bid

With a comfortable victory of 184 votes in the 193-member General Assembly, India on Wednesday was elected unopposed as a non-permanent member of the 15 member United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2021-22 term.

The UN General Assembly held elections for the President of the 75th session of the Assembly, five non-permanent members of the Security Council and members of the Economic and Social Council on Wednesday (June 17, 2020), amid special voting arrangements in place at the UN Headquarters in strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols.

Celebrating the occasion, India's permanent representative to UN, TS Tirumurti, said, "I am truly delighted that India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2021- 22.

"We have received overwhelming support and I am deeply humbled by the tremendous confidence which the member states of the United Nations have reposed in India. Our elections to the Security Council are a testament to Prime Minister Modi's vision and his inspiring global leadership, particularly, in the time of COVID-19. The outcome is a reflection of the strong campaign legged by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar," he said in a video message.

Tirumurti said India has become a member of the Security Council at a critical juncture and we are confident that in the COVID and the post COVID world, India "will continue to provide leadership and a new orientation for a reformed multilateral system."

Ireland secured 128 votes - exactly the two-thirds majority needed to qualify, while Kenya secured 113 votes. Norway was elected to other seats in the "Western Europe and other states" category with 130 votes, as per poll figures cited by The Irish Times.

France, Britain, the US, Russia and China are the five permanent members of the UN body, with the remaining 10 seats rotating among other member states who serve for two-year terms. The five permanent members have the power to veto decisions.

Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th session of the General Assembly, took to social media to extend his heartfelt congratulations to India, Mexico, Ireland, and Norway for the win as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.

However, Canada fell short in its bid to win a seat on the United Nation's Security Council, failing to secure the necessary two-thirds support in a unique round of physically distant voting on Wednesday despite more than four years of rigorous campaigning.

According to the local Canadian media sources, the North American country won only 108 votes from the member-states of the General Assembly, marking the second consecutive time that Canada has lost a bid to sit on the UN's decision-making body. The last time, Canada fall short of votes was in 2010, under the former Conservative government, gleaned by Germany and Portugal.

(ANI)

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