India was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council from the Asia Pacific side on June 17.
India was elected unopposed after getting 184 votes of the 193-member General Assembly. The minimum number of votes required to get elected was 128. India was the only candidate contesting from the Asia Pacific Group (APG).
India will be a part of the UNSC as a non-permanent member for a period of two years. The last time India served as a non-permanent member was in 2011-2012.
TS Tirumurti, the Indian permanent representative to the UN in a video statement said “We have received overwhelming support and we we deeply humbled by the tremendous confidence that the member states of the United Nations have reposed in India”.
He said that India has become a member of the UNSC at a “crucial juncture” and added that India will continue to provide leadership and a “new orientation for a reformed multilateral system”.
Ireland, Mexico and Norway were the other countries elected as non-permanent members on Wednesday. The fifth seat had no clear winner as neither Kenya nor Djibouti was able to get the required 2/3rd votes to win the Africa seat. Canada lost out to Norway and Ireland.