In August 2021, under India’s presidency, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted a statement recognising the importance of technology in peacekeeping. At the high-level Security Council open debate on ‘technology and peacekeeping’, India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar stated that ‘21st-century peacekeeping must be anchored in a strong ecosystem of technology and innovation’.1 In the meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres outlined the elements of a digital transformation strategy for peacekeeping.

UNAMID's exit did not emerge from a context of peace or progress towards conflict resolution in Darfur. Instead, the exit decision was essentially the outcome of the reflection that keeping the mission on the ground would not change the situation. Initially, the hybrid peacekeeping model was seen as a paradigm shift in peacekeeping operations, and many hailed it as the future of UN peace operations.

As the emerging Cold War theatrics and veto politics threaten to further paralyse the functioning of UNSC, the Ukraine crisis is unlikely to abate any time soon.

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Rajeesh Kumar’s article ‘The United Nations and the crisis in Yemen’ has been published in ‘The Hindu’ on 26 January, 2022.

To sustain its historical interest and influence in the UN peacekeeping operations, India should provide technical assistance to the missions while continuing to contribute troops, rather than a complete transformation from being a traditional troop contributor to a technology contributor.

The year 2020 marked 75 years of India’s association with the United Nations. India was one of the founding members of the UN when its institutional edifice was built in 1945. Since then, the concept of UN centrality in international peace and security matters is one of the features of Indian foreign policy. Over the decades, India played an active role in the UN’s political process and significantly contributed to its policies and programmes. At the UN, India stood at the fore of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid.

The vaccine inequity is not only morally indefensible but clinically counter-productive. Allowing most of the world’s population to go unvaccinated will only spawn new virus mutations. Preventing this humanitarian catastrophe requires removing barriers – such as TRIPS – to vaccine production and its equitable distribution.

India's multilateral approach has been influenced and guided by multiple strategies, interests, values and has transformed significantly through the decades. However, most foreign policy scholars have argued that India has often acted like a "spoiler" or "rule-breaker" in multilateral negotiations.

Strategic Analysis, Volume 44, Issue 5 (2020)

Special Issue: UN@75 – Challenges Ahead

COVID-19 vaccine hoarding by wealthy nations will prolong the pandemic, and result in greater economic and social damage.