India pitches maritime security, terror financing in UN Security Council bid

Launching India's 2028-29 UN Security Council campaign, S Jaishankar outlined priorities from maritime security to terror financing. The pitch places India's Global South messaging alongside practical concerns over sea lanes, seafarers and emerging threats.

In Short

• Jaishankar said maritime commerce needs safe, unimpeded routes under international law
• India highlighted seafarer safety amid Gulf tensions, attacks on ships and tankers
• New Delhi cited anti-piracy and rescue operations across key Indo-Pacific sea lanes

India will push for greater attention at the UN Security Council on issues such as a free, open and rule-based maritime order, the safety of seafarers and efforts to counter terror financing, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday as New Delhi launched its campaign for a non-permanent seat for 2028-29.

Speaking at an event at the UN headquarters attended by ambassadors, diplomats and officials, Jaishankar outlined India’s priorities for the term, saying the country’s approach is rooted in “SHANTI: Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust and Integrity”. He said India’s focus areas would include being “a voice of the Global South; advancing reformed multilateralism; a future ready peacekeeping; addressing threats posed due to misuse of AI; securing maritime commons; and countering terror financing”.

On maritime security, Jaishankar said, “In an era where supply chains connect our economies, the world is also increasingly focused on securing the maritime commons.” He said the challenge begins with ensuring adherence to relevant international law, specifically the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. “Our collective interest is in maintaining safe and unimpeded flow of maritime commerce,” he said, adding that countries with the required capabilities must cooperate to combat piracy.

He said the safety of seafarers was “another major concern thrown up by developments in the Gulf”. Jaishankar said India had long been active in search and rescue missions, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and capacity building through the sharing of best practices. “We will endeavour to ensure that these issues get the attention they deserve in the Security Council,” he said.

Jaishankar said India makes regular and wide-ranging contributions in maritime security, including anti-piracy, counter-narcotics and anti-trafficking operations. “Our forces are protecting sea lanes across the Indo-Pacific, specifically in the northern and southern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Malacca Straits and even in the Gulf of Guinea,” he said. India’s emphasis on maritime security comes amid challenges from the US-Israel conflict against Iran, with closures and blockades in the Strait of Hormuz affecting fuel prices, supply chains and the safety of seafarers. Amid the West Asia conflict, 11 Indian nationals have lost their lives, and several seafarers have been rescued after ships and tankers came under attack.

On terrorism, Jaishankar said countering terror financing would be another major priority in India’s campaign. “Even as the world strives to sustain growth and promote prosperity, some long-standing challenges continue to confront us. Significant among them is terrorism,” he said. “For far too long, our efforts have concentrated on countering its symptoms, but that would only give us limited results unless we are focused on constricting its resource base. Our commitment is to concentrate on countering terror financing and encourage objective and evidence-based proposals for listing of terrorist groups,” he said.

Elections for the 2028-29 term will be held in June next year, with India and Tajikistan in the contest for the sole Asia-Pacific Group seat. India last served on the 15-nation Security Council in 2021-22. It has previously been a non-permanent member seven times before, in 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and 2011-2012.

A special video screened at the event highlighted India’s expanding role on the global stage and its priorities for the campaign. “For a world in disorder, one civilisation has always answered with a single word -- Shanti (peace),” the video said, alongside footage of conflict and natural disasters and of India’s relief efforts. Jaishankar also said that with 4,300 personnel deployed across 10 of the 11 active UN peacekeeping missions, “few countries would have our experience in preparing peacekeeping to be future-ready”. On artificial intelligence, he said India has put forward a human-centric vision and remains committed to bridging the global digital divide. He added that in a world marked by conflict and tension, India has consistently backed dialogue and diplomacy, sought to bridge differences and find common ground, while focusing on reducing the impact of such developments on the Global South.

With its campaign now formally under way, India has set out a broad UNSC agenda centred on maritime security, terror financing, peacekeeping, artificial intelligence, multilateral reform and the concerns of the Global South.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends