India at UNSC: Can we be a force for the global good?

As it takes over the UNSC presidency for August, India should showcase that it is well-placed to initiate the much impending reforms at the UN

India is set to take over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the month of August, which also comes at a time when there is a year to go for India to mark and celebrate 75 years of independence. India is the first member of the Asia-Pacific Group to be elected as a non-permanent member in the UNSC for 2021-22. Former Permanent Representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, tweeted that this will be the first time an Indian prime minister will preside over the UNSC.

The presidency assumes significance because, since time immemorial, India has sought global good. Not just that, but she has modelled her development journey to become a force for global good.

A classic example is of Hansa Mehta, who changed the face of international law, without whom, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has already acknowledged, "We would likely be speaking of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man rather than of Human Rights." We cannot forget MS Subbulakshmi, who, on the invitation of the then secretary-general U Thant, was invited to perform because of the United Nations Day in 1966, where she sang the famous song of peace and hope, Maitreem Bajata. The UN postal administration issued a special stamp on her birth centenary that also marked the 50th year of her 1966 performance.

Since it came into existence, the UN has seen some terrific diplomats from India. One name that comes to mind is Vijayalakshmi Pandit, the first woman secretary-general of the United Nations. Her birth anniversary falls on August 18. With a combination of public diplomacy and soft power, India has contributed to the overall vision and mission of the United Nations.

While the past is worth recounting, it is the present that will help make sense of the future.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and foreign secretary Harsh Shringla recently enunciated, a pillar of India's foreign policy is to be a "force for global good". This has probably entered the first time in letter and spirit into the foreign policy discourse and is a welcome change.

At the first-ever QUAD summit initiated by the US under the Biden administration and featured India, Japan, Australia in March this year, Prime Minister Modi elucidated the importance of international alliances and how they need to be formulated for the global good. In his words, "Our agenda today — covering areas like vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies — makes the QUAD a force for global good. I see this positive vision as an extension of India's ancient philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which regards the world as one family."

Has "force for global good" been ever put into action? As we have seen in the past, there are several past and contemporary examples. The rescue of the Maldives from a coup attempt in 1988, or inscribing October 2 as International Day of Non-Violence, or June 21 as International Day of Yoga; responsible climate action initiatives; sending a dedicated flight to rescue and bring back a seven-day-old to Kerala at the height of the Yemen crisis; offering 1000 scholarships to students from the ASEAN region; or recently sending vaccines to over 150 countries during the Covid-19 first wave; India has often been at the forefront of enabling global good or as a "force for global good".

As a country set to be the world's third-largest economy by 2035, I believe that this should remain a continuum as far as India is concerned. While domestic advances in socio-economic indicators is a necessity and domestic considerations remain a priority, playing the role of enabling global good must also be at the forefront.

Simon Anholt, the inventor and founder of the Good Country Index and famed policy advisor, mentions that there are fundamentally two challenges confronting countries - how they behave and how their people behave. Towards this, he says there is a sea change in the culture of governance required to solve 21st-century challenges. Hence, it is a positive sign to see that there is proactive intent to say and act for global good in the very governance structures.

I understand that the naysayers will slant towards course-correcting the domestic historical wrongs first instead of doing anything for the global good. But with history by our side, India must not be reticent in showcasing this force with the entire world in mind.

By being a force for global good, we must also bear in mind to bring to the fore unique ideas to help solve some critical challenges. Switzerland initiated the "Swiss Touch" campaign that had a unique Swiss table with cutting edge technology going around the world, initiating meaningful conversations around climate change, to name a few, with key personalities.

If the challenges of the coming 50-100 years are to be met, it cannot be India, or for that matter, any country, contributing to solving these challenges singularly. It will need collaboration in a hyper-connected world; the pandemic has reiterated that. For that, being a "force for global good" remains pertinent.

As India advances its quest for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, by exhibiting this nature more proactively, she is also well-placed to initiate the much impending reforms at such multi-lateral organizations to suit today's context. August could be the best time to showcase this. Can we seize the opportunity? I remain an optimist; time will tell.

(The writer is an author and columnist)