23 India and Global Organizations: NAM & UN

Professor R.S. Yadav

Structure of the Module

1.  Introduction

2. Objectives

3.  India’s Role in NAM

3.1 Fight Against Colonialism, Imperialism and Racialism

3.2 Support for New Liberation Zone

3.3 Efforts for the Establishment of NIEO

3.4 Efforts towards Disarmament

3.5 Fight Against Discriminatory Nuclear Regimes

4  India’s Role in the UN

4.1 Faith in UN System

4.2 Strengthening Basic Foundation of Peace

4.3 Conflict Resolution through Pacific Settlement

4.4 Efforts towards Disarmament

4.5 Establishment of NIEO

4.6 Support for Peace-Keeping Operations

5  Conclusion

6 Important Questions

7 Suggested Readings

1.  Introduction

India’s foreign policy is mainly oriented towards the establishment of peace at the global level. It wants to attain its foreign policy objectives through non-violent means. For this, it is not only following a policy of peace towards other states, but also making efforts for such purpose through participating in the efforts made by global organizations. In this context, its efforts with these organizations, Non-aligned Movement (NAM) and United Nations (UN) are very vital. Through these organizations, India is not only making efforts for the successful working of these bodies, but also contributing through participation so that these organizations are able to establish global peace. India can be called as originator of the first movement as its first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru was one of the founding father of this organization. Even the very idea of the concept ‘non- alignment’ was the brain child of Nehru. Later with the like- minded leaders of Afro- Asian and other developing countries, he was successful in making it a global movement of the developing world in 1961 when its first summit was held at Belgrade. Since then, it is working successfully and attained the status of largest movement of third world countries with membership of 120 nations. Similarly, India is committed not only with the objectives and principles of the UN since its inception, but also working hard to make it a successful body through its active participation. Here again, the basic interest of India has been to avoid war and establish peace through UN. Even if conflict arises, its focus has always been to settle such issue through pacific settlement of disputes as enshrined in chapter 6 of the UN Charter. It is also instrumental in making UN Peace-keeping activities a success, as India itself is contributing very significantly in the peace-keeping forces of this body. Besides, its interest in such activities has been one of naturally and objectively rather based on certain vested interests. Thus, through both these movement and organization, India is instrumental in the establishment of global peace.

2. Objectives

Main purpose of this module is to give information to the students regarding India’s role in different global organizations in general and about the NAM and UN in particular. Here, a detail of India’s activities in NAM is provided with a view to present the basic thought of its foreign policy goals which are not only contained towards its narrow national interests, rather it was an enlightened foreign policy to handle the largest issues of the humanity particularly of the developing societies. On the one hand, India is making aware these societies about their ills, whereas on the other hand, it is also making concerted efforts to find out solution to those issues. In this context, prevailing problems are resolved in a peaceful manner benefiting all the nations of the world. Similarly by joining the UN as primary member, goals of India’s foreign policy have been to get the objectives of UN implemented so that problem of larger humanity can be addressed. Besides, India has been fighting against any type of exploitations and discriminations forced up on the poor and marginalized nations. It is also instrumental to debate the issues of arms control and disarmament so that peace and tranquility can be established in the world. Even in contemporary times, it is also fighting for reformation in this body through democratization of Security Council. Moreover, it is also concerned with the resolution of global problem of poverty, illiteracy, environmental degradations, human rights etc so that an equal and peaceful world order can be established. The future issues like climate change and global warming are also discussed for the welfare of succeeding generations.

3.  India’s Role in NAM

India’s role through NAM was not only limited to the attainment of its foreign policy goals, but also to achieve a long term objective of global peace and security. Hence, its efforts have been to work in all those areas through which tranquility in the world can be established. Therefore, main role of India through this movement was related to followings:

3.1. Fight against colonialism, imperialism and racialism

India became independent after long rule of British colonial masters. That is why it was vehemently opposed to colonialism of any kind. Hence, along with its own independence and sovereignty, it simultaneously fought against the colonial rule being remained in the large part of Asia, Africa and Latin America. For it, the movement of NAM has to oppose all kinds of dominance and hegemony by foreign ruler. India neither followed an expansionist policy, nor allows other states to follow expansionism. Similarly, it was against discrimination based on colors of the skin. That is why, these aspects formed the core issue of fight by the NAM, and India provided leadership to such protests. It was against any kind of domination and hegemony by the few global powers on large population of third world countries.

3.2. Support for Newly Liberation Zone

In the post Second World War, various states of Africa and Asia became free, but their political stability and economic viability were question marked. India through NAM thought for their independence, and end of colonial rule. Simultaneously, it prevented the outside intervention of powers and gave support to the idea of self-determination. When they became politically independent, their survival was very difficult due to poverty, illiteracy, disease exploitation etc. Hence, since the third NAM summit at Lusaka (1970), India raised the issue of New International Economic Order (NIEO) so that a non-exploitive economic system based on equality can be established. Hence, it made serious efforts for the viability of newly liberated zone.

3.3. Efforts for the Establishment of NIEO

In the decades of 1950s and 1960s political agenda of independence and sovereignty got importance in the activities of NAM. But after attaining these goals it was realized that political systems of countries of third world are not technology smoothly. Then it was realized that without economic independence, political freedom is false. Hence, since NAM’s Algiers summit in 1973 economic agenda acquired the center stage. Here existing Britton wood model (i.e. World Bank, IMF and GATT) of economic development was criticized and efforts were made towards the establishment of New International Economic Order (NIEO). It is envisaged that this new model needs to be equalitarian and ‘just’ as the earlier system was discriminatory favoring only the economically advanced nations. Collectively, these states raised this issue in the UN General Assembly and were successful in getting a declaration for the establishment of NIEO on 1st May 1974 by the UN. During the cold-war era, NAM countries put the political pressure on the developed world in the form of North- South dialogue to get the same implemented. But they failed to succeed in the matter.

In the post-cold war era when economic issues got significance, then also these efforts of NAM were not realized. Now this became all the more ardent to achieve because of process of globalization and weakening of NAM itself. However, India is still making efforts through the ‘New Regionalism’ approach and joining new permutation and combinations through 10R-ARC, SAFTA, ASEAN, EAS and other such forms. It is also making efforts at collective level to stop the adverse impact of the working of MNCs on the developing countries of NAM.

3.4. Efforts towards Disarmament

Since its inception, India through the forum of NAM is engaged in its efforts towards disarmament in the world. India has raised such issues in all the forums of NAM and though their collective assertion in the UN. In the early 1960s, it was instrumental in approval of Moscow Test Ban Treaty through the conference on Disarmament in the UN. It was also instrumental in the passing of NPT in the UN. But India always raised the problem of discriminatory nature of nuclear proliferation regime through the forum of NAM. As a result, NAM was able to get the decade of 1970 declared as ‘Decade of Disarmament’ by the UN. However, India’s such support did not continue in the NAM in 1990s. It is because on the issue of CTBT India got marginalized not only in the UN but also among the NAM countries. This became evident during the voting on CTBT when most of NAM countries did not support India. Later, even when India contested for temporary membership of UNSC, only 40 out of 113 NAM countries voted in favour of India. When India declared itself as nuclear power after Pokhran-II in May 1998, NAM countries did not look more positively towards India. But this scenario changed later on, as India continued to make commitment and support for disarmament despite attainting nuclear status. However, NAM’s declining influence in the post-cold war era did not allow it to follow such agenda more aggressively.

3.5. Fight against Discriminatory Nuclear Regimes

Since Second World War, three important nuclear regimes were concluded at global level, i.e. Partial Test Ban Treaty/Moscow Test Ban Treaty (1963), Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) 1970, and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) (1996). Though India has been instrumental in getting these regimes framed both individually and collectively through NAM, yet it always remained critical of the discriminatory nature of these treaties. As far as first regime was concerned, India not only supported its culmination but also joined this regime. But later treaty was not banning explosion of various forms as well as have no full proof mechanism towards the goal of disarmament. Hence, through the support of NAM countries it was instrumental in the conclusion of NPT. But when it realized that this treaty is based on double standards, i.e. one for ‘nuclear haves’ and another for ‘non-nuclear haves’ it rejected it and did not signed it even till date. It protested it to be discriminatory. Later in the changed global scenario after the end of cold war, it jointly sponsored the case for a comprehensive treaty. But when the draft of CTBT came, it raised objection to this treaty and refused to sign the same. However, US itself did not ratify the same; hence that treaty could not become an approved document. In this context, one thing has been certain that though India supported the cause of nuclear disarmament, yet it has never been in favour of discriminatory regime to be imposed on no-nuclear states of the developing world. Therefore, it always saved the NAM states from the nuclear blackmailing by nuclear powers.

3.6. Strengthening the foundation of Peace

India did not organize the NAM only for a limited purpose of attaining independence for the colonial regimes of Asia, Africa and Latin American countries. Rather its larger objective was towards the establishment of global peace. To attain this objective, NAM raised the issue of the ending the colonialism and imperialism; opposition to domination by the power; opposition to cold war and nuclear weapons; establishment of NIEO; and smooth working of organizations. Thus, functioning of NAM was not only limited to the welfare and development of developing states, but was also to strengthening of very foundations of peace in the global order. Hence all the activities of NAM were not only related to the welfare of its members, but also beneficial for the humanity at large. India was always instrumental in the system of these activities.

4.  India’s Role in the UN

India is not only a primary member of the UN, but also took part in all the activities done by this organization. Besides, India has been instrumental in the strengthening of very basis of peace through this organization. India’s role and contribution through UN can be evaluated through its participation in the following activities:

4.1. Faith in the UN System

India not only supported the process of formation of the UN, but also committed itself to the purposes and objectives of this organization. India’s strong commitment towards this body is manifested in the form of its policy on Kashmir issue. It not only took this problem for resolution by this body, but also never regretted its non- resolution by this organization. India’s faith in this body is mainly derived from its core values pursued by it during its freedom movement. During its freedom struggle, India always supported the sovereignty, independence and development of states and end of colonial and imperial rule. Besides, India always aspired for the establishment of a peaceful world based on non-violence. Similar ideals were later on followed by India under its policy of non-alignment. Hence, there is a greater degree of convergence between the main values of the UN and India’s foreign policy; therefore, India has deep faith in the working of UN system.

4.2. Strengthening of Basic foundations of Peace

To promote peace through the working of UN India has been instrumental in strengthening the very basis of peace. At the outset, India’s struggle for independence was not only limited to its own freedom, but was also helping other states to get this right. Besides, India fought consistent war against the apartheid system through passing of different resolutions in the UN. India always supported, through UN, right of self determination of the newly independent states of the world. Besides, it also introduced numerous resolutions to end poverty, diseases and unemployment in the stats of Asia, Africa and Latin America. India ensured that all trust territories should get independence. Through various bodies of UN like UNESCO, WHO, ILO, FAO etc, India always supported the cause of well being of poor and marginalized states. It also favors the process of sustainable development and optimum utilization of recourses so that all nations can develop themselves. It believes in Gandhian principle that the mother Earth has enough resources for fulfilling the needs of all, not for the greed of all. By supporting all these issues, India has enhanced the prospects of global peace in the times to come.

4.3. Conflict Resolution through Pacific Settlement

India always favored the resolution of conflicts though peaceful and non-violent means. It is because it believes in the process of consensus and coordination among states. Here it becomes inevitable that use of chapter VII of the UN Charter should be minimized and use of chapter VI be maximized. But it must be made clear that India has never been in the favour of reductions in the powers of UNSC and simultaneous increase in the powers of UN General Assembly. In the post-cold war era, India is in favours of making the UNSC more effective through its democratization. India feels that since world scenario has significantly changed during present times, hence it becomes inevitable for this organization to reflect the change in permanent membership because UN has to be relevant in terms of horizontal and vertical changes witnessed in its membership. Besides, new challenges the world is facing today also making inevitable for the UN to adopt this changed context. In this era when weapons of mass destructions are available in plenty, use of pacific means for the settlement of disputes is only option with the UN.

4.4. Efforts Towards disarmament

India has always been in favour of complete and comprehensive disarmament through the UN system. As early as in 1954, Jawahar Lal Nehru gave a proposal for standstill agreement of nuclear weapons in the UN General Assembly, later on India was also instrumental in disarmament activities through ‘Conference on Disarmament’ of the UN. In all the regimes concluded towards of nuclear weapons by the UN, India played important role in the realization of goal towards disarmament. Besides, in the third special session of Conference on Disarmament convened in June 1988, Rajiv Gandhi put three phased proposal for the elimination of nuclear weapons by 2010, through this process, India was in favour of the establishment of a weapon-free society based on non-violent means. But it is also fact that India was always opposed towards the establishment of a discriminatory or unequal regime for this purpose. Though not much success has been achieved by the UN in this regard, yet India has always been active in different activities in this matter. In this context, India has always taken a principled stand to establish the ‘weapon-free world’ based on non-violence.

4.5. Establishment of NIEO

India believes that for the establishment of a peaceful world, need of economic equality among nations is also very vital. It also favours the reduction of gap between the countries of North and South. For this purpose, India, along with those developing countries, has consistently opposed the Breton wood models because of their in-equalitarian and discriminatory nature. So it made concerted efforts towards the forming of New International Economic Order (NIEO) by replacing the earlier trio of IMF, World Bank and GATT. For this purpose, efforts were also made to have a two way dialogues between North and South, as well as, South-South cooperation. Though UN has been pressurize to pass a resolution towards the establishment of NIEO on 1 May 1974, yet nothing much has been attained in this direction. Situation became all the more adverse in the post-cold war era, because this issue got marginalized in contemporary times. The replacement of GATT to WTO has further strengthened the old model of Breton wood. Now India is making efforts through new regional grouping to take advantage of the changed scenario.

4.6. Support for peace- keeping operations

In present times, peace keeping operation of the UN got significant highlight. India since inception has been participant in such activities of the UN. By now, India has already taken part in nearly 43 UN peace keeping operations in which it has made available approximately 1,60,000 military personnel to the UN. It not only contributed forces for the operations, but has also performed important role during such activities. In these operations, India provided military advice and 13 commanders to the UN forces. India has unique distinction of providing one women battalion for UN operation in Liberia in 2007. To materialize such operations, India has to spent huge money from its exchequer. Besides, it has also face burden in terms of loss of its soldiers in such combat operations. India’s commitment to the cause of peace is such strong that despite above problem it always agreed to such operations. As a result, India used to be consulted by numbers of times by the UN on various issues confronted by the peace keeping activities. India also conducted different seminars and conferences to create awareness in different countries. India’s such role always got global appreciations. Because of India’s neutral stance in such activities, its services were always in demand by the United Nations. Its role in UN Peace-Keeping activities is always acclaimed as ideal and exemplary for other nations. Thus, India always tried its best to promote global peace by supporting various activities of the United Nations.

5. Conclusion

Thus, India’s role through international organizations of NAM and UN has been very vital for the promotion of peace in the world. Through the NAM, India on the one hand, worked hard to limit the adverse impact of Cold War on global peace; and, on the other hand, made serious efforts for the development of newly independent states of third world by not joining any of the military blocs. Simultaneously, it raised various issues affecting developing countries. In this context, it was vocal in promoting the policies of anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, anti-racism, and elimination of poverty, diseases and unemployment in the third world. NAM was also instrumental in promoting the cause of disarmament at different global forums. Later on, the issue of formation of New International Economic Order was also raised. NAM was also instrumental in the declaration of Indian Ocean as a zone of peace. India, along with Egypt, Yugoslavia and Indonesia, provided leadership to NAM. Hence it played significant role in the promotion of peace through this organization. Similar to this, India also played significant role in the working of United Nations by joining as primary member. India observes its deep faith and commitment in the principles and objectives of the UN. Through these manifold activities it actively participated in the organization to promote global peace. India, along with other like-minded states of Third World, worked towards the strengthening of structures of peace. Besides, it also made serious efforts towards the strengthening of basic foundations affecting global peace. Simultaneously, it actively engaged in all the activities of the UN towards the promotion of global peace. Thus, India’s role in international organizations, particularly in the NAM and UN, has been very vital and significant. Through such role, it has been instrumental in the establishment of peace at global level in general and for the newly developing countries of Third World in particular.