Context: The United Nations (UN) is facing declining authority as rivalry among major powers increasingly weakens multilateral cooperation and allows powerful States to bypass or obstruct UN institutions.
- For a rising power such as India, a weaker UN is problematic because multilateral institutions provide smaller and middle powers with a platform to influence international rule-making.
- The article argues that India should simultaneously increase its influence within the UN and strengthen wider partnerships for multilateralism, without waiting for comprehensive UN reform.
Why a Weakening UN Matters for India
- The UN provides India with a forum to negotiate international rules and cooperate with countries with which it may have disagreements in other areas.
- A declining UN can increase great-power dominance, making international agreements harder to negotiate and weakening confidence in rules-based arrangements.
- India's growing economic and diplomatic weight does not automatically eliminate its vulnerability to rules created by more powerful States.
Limits of the UN Security Council
- The UN Security Council (UNSC) was designed around cooperation among major powers, but the veto power of the five permanent members can block collective action when they disagree.
- Conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran and Sudan illustrate the difficulties faced by the Council in restraining powerful States and their partners.
- The problem is not merely the UN Charter; its effectiveness also depends on whether governments are willing to honour and enforce the commitments they have undertaken.
- The UN nevertheless retains value because its universal membership gives smaller countries a voice without requiring the invitation or patronage of a major power.
India’s Case for UNSC Reform
- India, as the world's most populous democracy and a major economy, has a strong case for a permanent seat on the UNSC.
- Africa's exclusion from permanent membership further highlights the representational deficit in the present Council structure.
- Regional rivalries make agreement on expansion difficult, while Charter amendments require ratification by all five permanent members, making comprehensive reform particularly challenging.
- In the near term, obtaining elected non-permanent membership remains more attainable than permanent membership.
India’s UNSC Candidature: 2028–29
- India is seeking an elected non-permanent UNSC seat for 2028–29, with the election scheduled for June 2027.
- Tajikistan, which has never previously served on the Security Council, is India's electoral opponent.
- India has contributed more than 275,000 personnel to UN peacekeeping, giving it a substantial record to draw upon in seeking support.
- A Council term would provide India greater scope to negotiate agreements, shape mandates and advocate for the concerns of developing countries.
UN Peacekeeping and India’s Approach
- India can use its long-standing contribution to UN peacekeeping to argue for realistic mandates that match the capabilities and resources available to deployed personnel.
- The article stresses that peacekeeping missions with ambitious mandates but inadequate resources risk being set up to fail.
- India can also advocate for affected countries to have greater opportunities to present their concerns before the Security Council takes action.
Economic Coercion and “Weaponised Interdependence”
- Weaponised interdependence refers to the use of control over globally connected networks—such as finance, technology, supply chains and payment systems—to exert political or economic pressure on other countries.
- An Indian company may legally conduct a transaction under Indian law but still face difficulties if a foreign bank refuses payment or an insurer declines to cover its cargo.
- Such restrictions can therefore affect Indian businesses even without direct UN-authorised sanctions.
- Fragmentation into rival financial and technological systems could increase India's dependence on one geopolitical bloc for markets, finance or technology.
Need for Rules Against Unilateral Economic Coercion
- India has traditionally defended sovereignty and opposed intrusive international rule-making, but unilateral restrictions imposed by powerful States can nevertheless constrain India's policy choices.
- India should seek greater international influence over rules governing trade, financial networks, supply chains and development finance.
- The objective should be to ensure that economic interdependence does not become a mechanism through which powerful countries impose restrictions beyond their own jurisdictions without UN Security Council authorisation.
India and Artificial Intelligence Governance
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a new area of international security and governance, including concerns about autonomous systems, cyber risks and human control.
- The UN's independent scientific assessment has warned about risks from increasingly capable AI agents that could become difficult for humans to control.
- The UNSC has a role when AI-related risks affect international peace and security, while broader issues such as employment, education and development require wider multilateral consideration.
- India can advocate for AI safety standards and equitable technology access, particularly ensuring that developing countries have a voice in shaping emerging rules.
Partnership for Multilateralism (P4M)
- On September 21, India joined Brazil, Canada, Kenya, the European Union, Australia and Barbados in launching Partners for Multilateralism (P4M).
- The group brings together countries from different diplomatic groupings and seeks to strengthen cooperation on issues where broader multilateral support is required.
- The article highlights potential areas such as climate finance and protection against economic coercion.
- India's diverse relationships with different diplomatic camps can help it build support among countries that might otherwise be difficult to bring into a common negotiation.
UN’s Wider Institutional Value
- Even when the UNSC is paralysed, the wider UN system continues to provide humanitarian relief, documentation of the human costs of conflicts and scientific assessments used in global negotiations.
- UN institutions are particularly important for developing countries seeking to raise issues such as climate finance and sustainable development.
- Climate shocks and widening inequalities increase the importance of maintaining such universal platforms.
Institutional Reforms Needed
- The UN Secretariat needs to simplify procedures, reduce duplication and ensure more efficient use of resources.
- Governments should avoid weakening UN institutions while simultaneously expecting them to manage crises and provide international public goods.
- Reform therefore needs to address both institutional efficiency and political willingness of member States to support multilateral mechanisms.
Key Concept: Multilateralism and Strategic Autonomy
- Multilateralism involves cooperation among multiple States through common institutions, rules and processes rather than unilateral action.
- For India, multilateralism provides diplomatic space to engage simultaneously with countries belonging to different strategic groupings.
- Strategic autonomy does not require isolation; it enables India to maintain independent decision-making while developing partnerships across competing geopolitical blocs.
Way Forward for India
- Secure support for India's 2028–29 UNSC candidature while using its peacekeeping record and developing-country partnerships.
- Build coalitions through initiatives such as P4M to increase India's bargaining capacity on climate finance, economic coercion, technology and development.
- Advocate UNSC reform, including greater representation of emerging powers and under-represented regions.
- Strengthen international rules governing financial networks, technology, supply chains and economic coercion.
- Promote inclusive global governance of AI and emerging technologies, ensuring developing countries participate in rule-making.
- Continue supporting a rules-based international order while recognising that effective multilateralism ultimately depends on political commitment from member States.
