New York: India on July 14, Monday officially launched its campaign for the election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2028-29 term, with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar outlining the country’s priorities, peacekeeping record and commitment to multilateralism. Launching India’s candidature at the UN headquarters, EAM Jaishankar said the move comes at a time when the world is facing growing conflict and instability, making the role of the United Nations and the Security Council(UNSC) more critical than ever.
“It’s a pleasure to join you today afternoon to launch India’s candidature to serve as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council(UNSC) for the term 2028-29. We do so at a time when the world is facing a profound paradox. At the same time, we are witnessing levels of conflict, violence and instability that threaten even those who may be very far away”, EAM Jaishankar reiterated.
Speaking at the launch of India’s campaign for the @UN Security Council 2028-29.#SHANTI
🇮🇳 🇺🇳 https://t.co/u9ub8cTom9
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 13, 2026
Vision SHANTI for a secure, peaceful and equitable world
Speaking about the vision and mission of India, as a responsible UNSC chair, EAM Jaishankar said that the member states would naturally assess both India’s vision for addressing global challenges and its track record of contributing to international peace and security. “As a candidate, it is natural that member states would like to understand what India brings to the table. One part of that is our vision of the priorities that the world and the United Nations must address. The other is a track record which enables the international community to make its own judgment”, EAM Jaishankar added.
Presenting India’s approach to global governance, EAM Jaishankar unveiled the SHANTI vision(Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust and Integrity). He described it as the guiding principle of India’s efforts for a secure, peaceful and equitable world. “Recent developments have only demonstrated that peace, progress and prosperity cannot be sustained in a fragmented manner. The world must therefore focus on holistic advancement”, EAM added.
Pleased to launch India’s campaign for the @UN Security Council 2028-29.
Underlined 🇮🇳’s approach rooted in SHANTI – Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust and Integrity.
We will prioritise :
➡️ Strengthening the Voice of Global South, and factoring its concerns… pic.twitter.com/pGOHJho5fC
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 13, 2026
“That journey can only be undertaken effectively when global order is valued and rules are respected. This puts a premium on norms, on trust and integrity. That is the approach that India offers: Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust and Integrity. That is SHANTI as an acronym”, EAM Jaishankar explained.
India’s extensive contribution to UN Peacekeeping
Highlighting India’s contribution to UN peacekeeping, EAM Jaishankar said that India has deployed nearly 300,000 personnel across about 50 UN peacekeeping missions since the organisation’s inception. “Peacekeeping has been a crucial element of maintenance of international peace and security since the very inception of the United Nations. India has always been in the forefront of discharging that responsibility. Our cumulative contribution is nearly 300,000 deployments in about 50 missions worldwide. Currently, we have 4,300 personnel across 10 of the 11 active missions”, he said.
He further deliberated that India would continue to advocate for better-equipped, technologically enabled and realistically mandated peacekeeping operations while championing the Women, Peace and Security agenda. EAM
India is a global developmental partner, champion of diplomacy
EAM Jaishankar also underlined India’s role as a development partner, noting that Indian-funded projects are currently being implemented in 79 countries. He said India has consistently promoted dialogue and diplomacy amid global conflicts and has sought to amplify the concerns of the Global South. “In a world with too many conflicts and tensions, India has consistently espoused dialogue and diplomacy. We have sought to bridge differences and find common ground. Our focus has been on mitigating the impact of these developments for the Global South”, he said.
Expressing confidence in India’s candidature, EAM Jaishankar said that the country’s presence in the Security Council would strengthen the body’s decision-making through wider consultations and harmonisation of interests. “We believe that India’s presence in the Security Council will help strengthen decision-making in this vital body. We therefore seek your support for our candidacy”, he said.
The Minister added that India has consistently sought to amplify the concerns of developing nations through initiatives such as the Voice of the Global South Summits and by ensuring the African Union’s inclusion as a permanent member of the G20 during India’s presidency.
Principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Harnessing global maritime, health & food security
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Monday highlighted India’s contributions to global peace, humanitarian assistance and development partnerships, stating that New Delhi does not merely advocate the principle of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” but actively puts it into practice. Addressing member states at while launching the country’s campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UNSC for the 2028-29 term, EAM said India’s approach to global engagement is reflected in its contributions to maritime security, disaster relief, health security, food assistance and peacekeeping operations.
Highlighting India’s role in maritime security, the External Affairs Minister noted that Indian forces regularly contribute to anti-piracy, counter-narcotics and anti-trafficking operations while protecting vital sea lanes across the Indo-Pacific. These operations span the northern and southern Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Malacca Strait and the Gulf of Guinea.
“Apart from the fusion centre, our forces are protecting sea lanes across the Indo-Pacific, specifically the northern and southern Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Malacca Strait and even in the Gulf of Guinea. A long record of peacekeeping is today extended to offering training and capacity building to 98 nations at the Delhi Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping”, EAM Jaishankar further hailed India’s role as a responsible member of the UN.
EAM Jaishankar further emphasised that India has consistently acted as a first responder during humanitarian crises, citing relief operations following Cyclone Ditwa in Sri Lanka and Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. He said India’s disaster response teams and emergency supplies have made a tangible difference in saving lives in affected nations.
He also outlined India’s contributions to global health and food security, noting that New Delhi has supplied vaccines, medicines and life-saving equipment to countries including Afghanistan, Tanzania, Madagascar, the Maldives, Fiji, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. This is in addition to extending medical assistance to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to help contain Ebola. Furthermore, he noted that India has responded to food security crises in countries such as Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi.
“Like many nations that emerged independent again after decolonisation, India is convinced that peace is strengthened by participation, not achieved by domination. The world is inherently pluralistic and the United Nations itself is constituted on the basis of sovereignty”, EAM thus hailed the importance of multilateral governance approach.
EAM meets UN Secretary General;
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday also met with the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York and discussed pressing global issues. In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar noted that the discussions focused on key geopolitical developments and the strong framework of India-UN cooperation.
“Glad to meet Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations in New York today. Discussed global developments, including of West Asia, Ukraine and Sudan. Also recognised the strength of India – UN cooperation”, he stated.
Glad to meet @antonioguterres, Secretary General of the @UN in New York today.
Discussed global developments, including of West Asia, Ukraine and Sudan. Also recognised the strength of India – UN cooperation.
🇮🇳 🇺🇳 pic.twitter.com/Eyun5r5otZ
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 13, 2026
If elected, India would join the UNSC’s 10 rotating non-permanent members, who serve two-year terms alongside the Council’s five permanent members, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Non-permanent members are elected by the 193-member UN General Assembly and require a two-thirds majority vote to win the elections. India has previously served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council eight times, in 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92, 2011-12 and most recently in 2021-22.
As a founding member of the United Nations, India strongly supports the purposes and principles of the UN and has made significant contributions to implementing the goals of the Charter and the evolution of the UN’s specialised programmes and agencies. Meanwhile, India has consistently advocated reforms of the UN Security Council to deal with the contemporary geopolitical challenges
