India's Evolving Foreign Policy at the UN: The Rise of Strategic Abstentions
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: International Relations (United Nations, India's Foreign Policy).
Mains:
GS Paper 2: India and its neighborhood- relations; Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests; Effect of policies and politics of developed countries on India’s interests.
Key Highlights from the News
India's stance of abstaining from voting on resolutions in the United Nations (UN) has significantly increased in recent years.
An analysis of over 5,500 resolutions from 1946 to June 2025 shows that India's annual percentage of 'yes' votes has decreased to 56%, while abstentions have increased to 44%. This is the highest abstention rate in history.
This shift began to become evident around 2019.
Former diplomats point to two main reasons for this trend:
A more polarised world: Increased divisions between dominant powers (US bloc vs. Russia/China bloc) have reduced consensus.
Complexity of resolutions: Resolutions now often include multiple issues (Christmas trees). It becomes difficult to vote 'yes' or 'no' when agreeing with some parts and disagreeing with others.
Experts say that abstention is not indecisiveness but a useful tool for emerging powers like India to express an independent stance without aligning with any single bloc.
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