India formally launches campaign for UN Security Council seat with new 'SHANTI' vision | Watch

India on Monday (Jul 13) launched its campaign for election to the United Nations Security Council for the 2028-29 term, unveiling a new diplomatic vision that it said would guide its approach to global peace and security if elected.

New Delhi is seeking its ninth stint as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. The election will be decided by the 193-member UN General Assembly, with candidates needing a two-thirds majority to secure a seat. If elected, India will return to the Council after its last tenure in 2021-22.

Jaishankar says New Delhi's record strengthens its case for the 2028-29 term

Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar introduced the acronym "SHANTI", short for Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust and Integrity, describing it as India's framework for dealing with an increasingly fractured world.

"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 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," Jaishankar said.

The Indian minister noted that India's candidature comes as geopolitical tensions continue to dominate the UN agenda, and as the world faces growing conflict and instability, making the role of the United Nations and the Security Council more critical than ever.

Jaishankar acknowledged that countries voting in the election would judge India not only by its promises but by what it has already delivered. "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," he said.

Rather than presenting SHANTI as a slogan, Jaishankar framed 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... 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," he said.

Banking on a long UN record

India also leaned heavily on its credentials as one of the UN's biggest contributors to peacekeeping missions.

Jaishankar noted that nearly 300,000 Indian military personnel have served in around 50 UN peacekeeping operations since the organisation's founding. Today, more than 4,300 Indian peacekeepers remain deployed across 10 active missions.