India Bests China in Election to UN body

Indian diplomats at the United Nations are on a roll. They made a statement of sorts Tuesday when India’s Jagjit Pavadia was re-elected to the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) with the highest margin, leaving China’s candidate in the dust.

Pavadia’s INCB victory came just days after Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar was put on the UN sanctions list, thanks to the long, hard battle waged by India and timely help from the United States.

Pavadia’s election may not seem like a big deal but it is. In the subterranean battles that rage in the rarified world of the United Nations, each victory means a little more global space, a little more clout.

“In international contests, we have the soft skills to make a compelling case and win. What we also need is to develop the ability to win where muscle needs to be displayed,” Syed Akbaruddin, India’s permanent representative, told ET.

Pavadia got 44 of the 54 votes while China’s candidate got only half with 22. In the next round, China did even worse and came last with only 19 votes. It didn’t get elected to the body and was beaten by the French and Colombian candidates who made it with 31 votes each.

“It was a bad day for pandas and panda huggers,” a UN diplomat commented. The election was tough with 15 candidates in the fray for five seats. But Pavadia made it in the first round.

The INCB, established in 1968, monitors the implementation of UN’s international drug control conventions. Pavadia has been a member since 2015 – each of the 13 members is elected for a five-year term.

The victory mirrors the hard and successful battle waged by India’s permanent mission under Akbaruddin for the re-election of Dalveer Bhandari to the International Court of Justice in 2017. Bhandari got two-thirds majority in the UN General Assembly, prompting the UK candidate to retreat. The election created immense excitement and geopolitical undercurrents.

More than a year later, India is helped by the fact that Washington is lighting a fire under China at the UN at every opportunity. The US raised strong concerns about Beijing’s treatment of the Uighur Muslims as China fielded a candidate for the UN’s Permanent Forum for Indigenous issues. The US questioned the background of China’s candidate, Zhang Xiaoan, who was elected Tuesday but after much public shaming.

The US accused Zhang of suppressing Uighur voices, undermining the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the UN charter and “exploiting” UN bodies. The US delegate also expressed alarm at the detention of more than a million Uighurs in re-education camps.

The sharper American stance against China at the UN creates many opportunities for India to field good candidates for even higher positions. But India must target the positions with foresight and offer qualified candidates with adequate time to work the system and build support.

Source:ET

Image Courtesy: TIE