India launches UNSC 2028-29 campaign with Shanti theme at UN

Unitednations,UPDATED: Jul 14, 2026 00:06 IST

India on Monday launched its official campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2028-29 term, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar unveiling the theme at a special event at the UN headquarters. The campaign, titled 'Shanti: India for the United Nations Security Council 2028-29. Norms, Trust, Integrity', was launched in the presence of UN envoys, diplomats and officials.

India said its approach to the United Nations is rooted in 'SHANTI: Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust, Integrity'. Elections for the 2028-29 term will be held in June next year, when India and Tajikistan will contest the sole seat in the Asia-Pacific Group category.

India last served on the Security Council for the 2021-22 term. Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres later in the day. He arrived in New York over the weekend after visiting Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman from July 5 to 10, and will leave for Brussels to attend the 3rd India-EU Trade and Technology Council meeting and hold talks with his EU and Belgian counterparts on July 14 and 15.

The Security Council elections will take place at a time of major geopolitical shifts, with the world facing challenges such as the Ukraine war, the Gaza conflict and the US-Israel war against Iran. In his address to the Parliament of Indonesia last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the global order is changing rapidly and that '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 long pushed for reform of the Security Council, including expansion in both its permanent and non-permanent categories, saying the 15-nation body set up in 1945 is not fit for purpose in the 21st century and does not reflect current geopolitical realities. Delhi has also consistently said it deserves a permanent seat on the Council. India has warned that reform will border on 'failure' if only the non-permanent category is expanded, saying that this would 'fundamentally' not change the decision-making power structure of the five permanent members.

With the reform process moving slowly over the decades, India has said the 'nothing is agreed until everything is agreed' approach must not be used 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. The launch of the campaign marks India’s formal push for a return to the Security Council as it continues to press for wider reform of the UN’s top decision-making body.

With PTI Inputs

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