India on Monday formally launched its campaign for the election of the 2028-29 UN Security Council non-permanent membership. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar launched ‘Peace: India’s Ideology, Trust and Integrity, UN Security Council 2028-29’ at a special event at the UN Headquarters in New York. India has made it clear that its approach to the UN is based on ‘peace’, which means ensuring overall progress through ideals, trust and integrity. Earlier, India served as a member of the Security Council for the 2021-22 term.
India will compete with Tajikistan for the sole seat in the Asia-Pacific Group in the June 2027 elections. The election will take place amid geopolitical changes and as the world grapples with serious challenges such as the Ukraine war, the Gaza conflict and the US-Israeli war against Iran. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres later on Monday. The minister, who recently arrived in New York after visiting Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman from July 5 to 10, will leave for Brussels on July 14 and 15 to attend the third India-EU Trade and Technology Council meeting.
India has long been an active proponent of UN Security Council reforms. Arguing that the fifteen-nation council, established in 1945, is not fit for purpose in the 21st century and does not reflect current geopolitical realities, India has demanded the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent sections of the Security Council. India also firmly believes that the reform of the UN Security Council cannot be delayed any longer in the changing global context.
India has warned that expanding the Security Council’s non-permanent membership would not fundamentally change the decision-making power structure of the five permanent members and would fail. Regarding the decades-long slow reform process, Ambassador Harish Parbataneni, India’s permanent representative to the United Nations, opined in June that the idea of not agreeing on anything until everything is agreed on should not stand in the way of progress. Reiterating India’s demand for a permanent seat in the Security Council, he said those who want to maintain the status quo are trying to use this argument in their favor to strengthen existing differences in the Security Council.