India backs UN ‘Correct the Map’ resolution, draws red line on J&K, Ladakh
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "India backs UN ‘Correct the Map’ resolution, draws red line on J&K, Ladakh")
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addresses a bi-weekly media briefing Photograph: (ANI)
India voted for the UN’s ‘Correct the Map’ resolution but stressed that J&K and Ladakh must be shown according to India’s official territorial map.
The Ministry of External Affairs issued a clarification on Sunday that India has voted in favour of a UN resolution titled "Correct the Map" but firmly drew a red line that any particular map must strictly adhere to its international boundaries, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as projected in India's official territorial maps.
In a statement, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “India voted in favour of the resolution and also made an explanation of the vote, stressing the underlying principle of promoting equal - area cartographic representation. We also highlighted that the resolution does not constitute endorsement of any specific map, projection or depiction of national boundaries. India’s sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be depicted in accordance with India’s official map. Any inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable. Our position on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is clear, consistent and non-negotiable.”
The Government of India maintains that its official UN map must display the entire area of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas currently administered by Pakistan and China.
“Its purpose is to encourage the use of equal-area map projections that preserve the relative sizes of continental landmasses. The resolution neither adopts nor authenticates any particular world map, nor does it address political cartography, including international boundaries, disputed territories or place names,” added Jaiswal.
On September 4, 2026, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution aimed at replacing the traditional Mercator projection with equal-area world maps. While the 16th-century Mercator projection retains usefulness for navigation, its visual representation heavily exaggerates landmasses near the poles while visually shrinking equatorial regions such as Africa and South America. This change is designed to represent the true relative proportions of continents, particularly accurately depicting the size of Africa. The resolution was supported by 164 countries, while the United States voted against it, and six other nations – Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine – abstained.
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