United Nations: India will work for a secure, peaceful and equitable world where the voice of the Global South is heard in equal measure, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar made these remarks as he launched India’s official campaign for a non-permanent seat at the UNSC for the 2028–29 term.
He outlined in detail India’s approach to the United Nations, emphasising that it is rooted in ‘Shanti: Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust, Integrity’ as he launched India’s campaign for the two-year tenure at an event in the UN headquarters attended by UN Ambassadors, diplomats and officials.
“India’s focus will be on working for a secure, peaceful, and equitable world-a world where the voice of the Global South is heard in equal measure. A world where peacekeeping is ready for contemporary and future challenges. A world where multilateralism reflects contemporary realities and provides effective solutions, not remaining a bystander,” he said.
“A world where the promise of technology is fully realised while safeguarding against its misuse and misapplication. A world as well whose oceans are safe and secure, so that maritime lifelines are not threatened,” Jaishankar added.
“A world where the scourge of terrorism is countered by choking the resources that feed it, and a world where climate action and climate justice, clean energy transitions, and sustainable growth hold value,” he said on Monday.
Jaishankar will also meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres later in the day. He had undertaken an official visit to Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman from July 5-10 and arrived in New York over the weekend.
From New York, he will go to Brussels July 14-15, where he will attend the 3rd India-EU Trade and Technology Council meeting and interact with his EU and Belgian counterparts.
Elections for the 2028-29 term will be held in June next year, when India and Tajikistan will compete for the sole seat in the Asia-Pacific Group.
The UNSC elections will come amid significant geopolitical shifts as the world continues to grapple with challenges such as the Ukraine war, the Gaza conflict and the US-Israel war against Iran.
India last sat at the UN horseshoe table for the 2021-22 term, its eighth time in the UN Security Council after stints in 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992, 2011-2012.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the Parliament of Indonesia this week, had said that the global order is changing rapidly, and in this context, “developing countries like ours are seeking equal participation and a greater role in global affairs.”
“In this evolving global landscape, India firmly believes that reforms in the United Nations Security Council can no longer be delayed.”
India has been at the forefront of years-long efforts for achieving reform of the Security Council, including expansion in both its permanent and non-permanent categories, saying the 15-nation Council, founded in 1945, is not fit for purpose in the 21st Century and does not reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.
Delhi has consistently underscored that it rightly deserves a permanent seat at the horseshoe table.
India has called for an expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of UNSC membership, cautioning that reform of the UN Security Council will border on “failure” if only its non-permanent category is expanded, as this will not “fundamentally” change the decision-making power structure of the five permanent members.
With the UNSC reform process moving at a snail’s pace through the decades, India asserted that a “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed” approach must not become a tool to block progress.
“Status-quoists have tried to use this argument in their favour and thereby, entrench the existing inequities in the Security Council,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni had said last month.
