United Nations Constitution of India

India was one of the first members of the United Nations to sign the United Nations Declaration on January 01, 1942 in Washington and also participated in the historic United Nations International Organization Conference in San Francisco from 25 April to 26 June 1945.

As a founding member of the United Nations, India strongly supports the objectives and principles of the United Nations and has made significant contributions to the implementation of the Charter’s objectives and the development of specific programs and agencies of the United Nations.

After independence from the British, India saw its membership in the United Nations as an important guarantee of maintaining international peace and security. India was at the forefront of the United Nations’ turbulent period of struggle against colonialism and apartheid.

India was a co-sponsor of the landmark 1960 United Nations Declaration of Independence to Colonial Countries, which proclaims the need for an unconditional end to all forms and manifestations of colonialism.

India was also elected the first chairman of the Committee of Political Freedom (24) where his relentless efforts to end colonialism are on record.

India was one of the most vocal critics of apartheid and racial discrimination in South Africa. In fact, India was the first country to raise the issue at the United Nations in 1946 and played a leading role in the formation of a sub-committee set up by the General Assembly against apartheid.

As a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and Group 77, India’s position in the United Nations system was strengthened as a leading supporter of the concerns and aspirations of developing countries and the establishment of a more equitable international economic and political order.

India has been advocating an approach of complete intolerance to all forms of terrorism. India initiated the drafting of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in 1996 with the aim of providing a comprehensive legal framework to combat terrorism and is working towards its early passage.

India has a proud history of participation in UN peacekeeping operations and has been involved in these operations since the 1950s. So far India has participated in 43 peacekeeping missions.

India, the only nation with proven weapons, has been vehemently demanding a Nuclear Weapons Convention to ban and eliminate certified weapons. India is committed to achieving the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons in a timely, universal, fair, phased and verifiable manner as reflected in the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan presented in 1998 at the Special Session on the Cancellation of the General Assembly.

Today, India is at the forefront of efforts to expand the Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories as well as UN reforms to reflect contemporary realities.

In June 2020, India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. This two-year term of India will start from January 1, 2021. India has been elected to the prestigious Security Council for the eighth time in the history of the United Nations. Prior to this, India has been a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92 and 2011-12.

There are 26 United Nations organizations serving in India. The Resident Coordinator is the designated representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to the Government of India. The United Nations provides strategic assistance to India to meet its aspirations to end poverty and inequality and promote sustainable development in line with globally accepted Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations also supports India, the world’s largest democracy, in fulfilling its ambitious commitments to rapid transformation and development priorities.