Jaishankar to launch campaign for India’s non-permanent UN Security Council seat for 2028-29 as UN politics heats up

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. | Photo credit: ANI

On July 13, India will officially launch its campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2028-29. According to a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs, the launch will be conducted by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who is currently traveling in the Gulf region and will arrive in New York on July 10 for an official ceremony that will be key to India’s leadership position in the Global South.

The bid for a non-permanent seat on the UNSC comes at a time when the world is witnessing several disruptive events, such as the Gulf crisis following the US-Israel war against Iran, which has disrupted energy and fertilizer trade with much of the world, including the global South. The bid will also require considerable diplomatic mobilization by India, as Tajikistan will be the next contender for the seat designated for the Asia-Pacific region. While India has received support from countries such as Fiji, the United States, Austria and Sri Lanka, it will have to do considerable diplomatic heavy lifting as Tajikistan has already secured the support of the OIC bloc, which consists of 57 member states of the United Nations. In addition, both countries are members of the SCO, which will hold the next summit in Kyrgyzstan, which gives the summit special significance in terms of the UN Security Council’s ambitions in India and Tajikistan.

The evolving equation

Mr Jaishankar has been in various countries in recent months with an eye on the evolving equation at the UN due to India’s plans for non-permanent membership of the UNSC in 2028-29. This week he will visit Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, during the weekend he visited Qatar. He will arrive in New York for extensive consultations with India’s UN counterparts. While India has been pushing for reform in the UNSC and also championing the needs of the Global South, recent trends have not gone according to plan. Earlier in May, India postponed the forum’s India-Africa summit scheduled for May 28-31, citing the outbreak of Ebola in many African countries.

In this context, India has stepped up consultations as evidenced by the frequent travel schedule of Mr. Jaishankar, who recently visited the Caribbean region. The UN political season heated up ahead of the upcoming General Assembly in the June 2026 contest, with Kyrgyzstan defeating the Philippines for the 2027-28 UN Security Council term, with 142 UN members supporting Kyrgyzstan and 49 supporting the Philippines. It will be Kyrgyzstan’s first time in the UNSC since it joined the UN in 1992 after the collapse of the USSR. Contests in the UN Security Council also testify to emerging global dynamics in the context of conflicts in West Asia and the Ukraine crisis.

Published – 06 Jul 2026 22:53 IST