Context:

The 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN) is an opportunity to look at the major trends, patterns, and future challenges as far as India is concerned in terms of safeguarding its interests and promoting the common good.

The Organization

• The United Nations is an international organization committed to-
  • Maintaining international peace and security
  • Developing friendly relations among nations
  • Promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights
• Membership: It is currently made up of 193 Member States.
  • Each of the 193 Member States of the United Nations is a member of the General Assembly. States are admitted to membership in the UN by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
• Main Organs: The main organs of the UN are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. All were established in 1945 when the UN was founded.

The current status of India in the UN

• India is a founding member of the United Nations, signing the UN Charter, along with 50 other countries, on 26 June 1945.
• Currently, India is a non-permanent member of the UN.
  • In the past, India has gained a non-permanent seat in the Security Council in 1950- 1951, 1967- 1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992, and most recently in 2011-2012.

United Nations work in India

• In India, the UN’s work is guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF), a framework of cooperation, results, and strategies between the Government of India and the United Nations system in India to contribute to the achievement of national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The focus areas include poverty and urbanization; health, water, and sanitation; education; nutrition and food security; climate change, clean energy, and disaster resilience; skilling, entrepreneurship, and job creation; and gender equality and youth development.
• The UNSDF is underpinned by the overarching principle of the SDGs to leave no one behind, echoing the Government of India’s message of SabkaSaathSabkaVikas (development for all).
• The UNSDF also includes a set of UN flagship programs that are aligned with major government schemes.
• The flagship programs will be scalable, innovative, and multi-sectoral solutions to some of the most pressing development challenge that India faces, while also serving as catalysts for increased investment in development finance.