India and UN Peacekeeping India and UN Peacekeeping

India’s priorities paper for UNGA 80 United Nations General Assembly

A. Introduction

The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (80th UNGA) will commence on 9 September 2025.

  1. The upcoming session gains particular salience, given that it comes in the backdrop of 80 years since the signing of the UN Charter and the UN@80, an initiative announced by UN Secretary General, H.E. Antonio Guterres in March 2025. This initiative seeks to identify financial efficiencies, review implementation of mandates, and introduce structural changes and programme realignment across the UN system.
  1. The world is witnessing a complex interplay of interconnected challenges, including conflicts across several regions. UN’s inability to effectively respond to many of these challenges, particularly conflicts raises questions on the organization’s efficacy, credibility and legitimacy.
  1. India supports an ambitious approach to UN@80 that focuses on reforming the UN in order to make it fit for purpose by equipping it to effectively respond to contemporary challenges, particularly in terms of addressing conflicts. UN@80 needs to go far beyond achieving financial efficiencies only as it is critical at this juncture to suitably address the questions related to efficacy, credibility and legitimacy of the UN. Comprehensive reforms of the Security Council are central to this approach.
  1. India’s priorities for the 80th UNGA will continue to be shaped by its core foreign policy objectives that are guided by the desire to accelerate national development and create overall prosperity and well being of its citizens. This includes commitment to multilateralism and unwavering focus on development issues of the Global South pivoted on South-South cooperation as central elements. India will continue to engage with UN and its member states within this framework, with its role as a bridge builder, and the firm belief in peaceful co-existence and shared prosperity pronounced in all its
  1. India will continue to project its stewardship in diverse areas such as climate change through initiatives such as the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) movement, the International Solar Alliance (ISA), Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA); global well being through International Day of Yoga and World Meditation Day; counter-terrorism; development spectrum by forging new coalitions during the International Year of Cooperatives etc. In addition, India would also engage in a proactive manner with all key processes of the UN during the session, including Peacebuilding Architecture Review and World Summit for Social Development. India would also actively engage with all stakeholders in the 80th session on the process related to the election of the next UN Secretary General.

B. Overall priorities

  1. An indicative list of priority issues for the 80th UNGA are:
  • In the backdrop of UN@80 and UN’s financial challenges, India would stress the need for adequate resources for developmental agenda and peacekeeping operations for effective mandate delivery.
  • Maintain India’s active engagement as a leading voice of the Global South, particularly in the development sphere. Emphasize different areas such as climate finance, financing for development etc. under this framework.
  • Strengthen coordination with important groups, including LLDCs, LDCs and SIDS, including through the India-UN Development Partnership Fund and IBSA
  • Amplify the achievements in women-led development particularly women’s leadership and political participation at the grassroots level, promoting financial inclusion, providing access to clean cooking fuel, sanitation, safe drinking water and health coverage including maternal and child health etc.
  • Emphasize its commitment to furthering the UN’s peace and security–related functions and responsibilities, including by stressing the global importance of peacekeeping operations and the need to engage in several regions and scenarios.
  • Engage substantively as a Troop Contributing Country in finalizing of mandates for UN peacekeeping missions. Promote application of technology in peacekeeping Missions and seek accountability for crimes against Peacekeepers in line with Security Council Resolution 2589.
  • Attach greater prominence to issues relating to counter-terrorism; pushing for more transparency in the process of listing and de-listing of entities and individuals in Sanction Committees.
  • Continue to pursue the issue of reform of the Security Council for a meaningful outcome in the 80th UNGA.
  • Highlight India’s perspective on human rights debates, including the right to development. Further, project India’s achievements in inclusive growth including on the rights of various groups such as children, minorities, and persons with
  • Take forward India’s pragmatic and constructive approach on disarmament issues at the First Committee and UN Disarmament Commission and engage with all partners on issues related to outer space, cyberspace etc.
  • Continue to pursue active campaigning efforts on all elections to UN bodies to which India is contesting and build upon the success of the election to ECOSOC for 2026-28 term.
  • Continue efforts to further increase the visibility and footprint of the use of Hindi in the UN, including under the aegis of Hindi@UN project.
  • Play a proactive role with regard to the election of the next UN Secretary

C. Approach on developmental issues, climate action and related areas

  1. SDGs, 2030 Agenda and Financing: India will continue to highlight the success of various flagship programmes in implementation of SDGs in India, especially localization of SDGs. With only five years remaining to achieve the 2030 goals, urgent steps must be taken to provide the headroom needed to generate the trillions of dollars necessary to close financing and investment India engaged actively in the preparations and process of the Fourth FfD Conference and Finance Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman attended FfD4 in Seville, Spain from 30 June-4 July 2025. She highlighted that national efforts must be complemented by an enabling international environment to achieve robust global growth and reiterated India’s support to the call for a reversal in the decline of ODA, and urged developed countries for enhancing climate finance that is predictable, accessible, and concessional—particularly for adaptation in vulnerable countries. The divisions and fragmentation among member states and adoption of decisions related to SDGs without consensus are areas of concern that India would continue to work on.
  1. South-South Cooperation: India has considerable experience in South-South Cooperation, bilaterally as well as through collaboration with the UN. India has set up a US$ 150 million India-UN Development Partnership Fund, managed by UNOSSC. The IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) Fund for the Alleviation of Poverty and Hunger also hosted at the UNOSSC is another unique mechanism for South-South India will build on the existing portfolio of around 85 projects across 55 countries of the Global South by undertaking more human-centric projects in newer geographies and regions. India will continue to pursue these efforts.
  1. India actively participated in the 4th UN Conference on SIDS in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024 and contributed USD 300,0000 towards its India is a co-chair of the Group of Friends of LLDCs and has contributed USD 300,0000 to OHRLLS towards the organisation of the third International Conference on LLDCs in Awaza, Turkmenistan in August 2025. India will continue to underline its commitment to fostering development partnerships with the Global South, including through participation in such Conferences.
  1. Eradication of Poverty: One of the long-term effects of the pandemic and ongoing conflicts will be that millions of people will be pushed into extreme poverty. India is implementing a comprehensive development strategy to end poverty in all its forms, through accelerated economic growth and broader social safety 248 million Indians are estimated to have escaped poverty between 2013-14 to 2022-23. We will continue to focus on poverty eradication at the 80th session and share our experience and best practices with the others with similar development aspirations.
  1. Voluntary National Review: India will seek to build on its Voluntary National Review presented at High Level Political Forum in July 2025, showcasing its commitment and achievements on SDGs, with special focus on key pillars of India’s recent progress: financial inclusion (500 million new accounts), water scarcity (150 million new household tap connections), and poverty reduction, and underscoring the 3D strategy- Digital, Data and Delivery- as the backbone of India’s implementation model. India’s positive momentum and focus on development imperative in the UN will continue in the 80th session as well.
  1. Climate Action: India is a leader in Climate Action. In addition to taking the lead on several initiatives, it made efforts to focus on the need to expand and diversify critical minerals and renewable energy supply chains for economies to secure uninterrupted and affordable access to renewable energy and energy storage, during its G20 Presidency in 2023. We remain committed to continuing on the path of ambitious climate action to achieve greener transition for achieving Agenda 2030. In the 80th session, India will continue to highlight that its pioneering initiative, International Solar Alliance (ISA), stands out as an example of positive global climate action that can be taken forward through partnerships, using innovative blended financing schemes.
  1. Digital Public Infrastructure: India considers Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a transformative pathway to accelerate inclusive and sustainable development, and a key enabler for achieving the SDGs, Leveraging its experience with the India Stack, we will continue to demonstrate how DPI can help leapfrog traditional development challenges, enhance governance, and empower citizens.
  1. Artificial Intelligence: The Global Digital Compact adopted as an annex to the Pact for the Future in September 2024, contains a commitment to establish a multidisciplinary Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and initiate a Global Dialogue on AI Governance within the United Nations. India will continue to engage in the processes related to the establishment of the AI Scientific Panel and initiation of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance. India will continue to advocate for primacy of Member States in facilitating inclusive, democratic and diverse participation of experts from across the globe in the AI Scientific Panel and development-oriented thematic reports on AI that would promote local AI innovation and applications, especially for Global India will continue to advocate for a transparent, equitable, democratic and inclusive AI Dialogue within the United Nations that will facilitate democratizing AI resources to benefit all.
  1. Disaster Risk Reduction: Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is a core priority for India, anchored in a whole-of-society approach that emphasizes prevention, preparedness, and resilience. India has developed robust mechanisms including early warning systems, geospatial tools, and digital alert We will seek to strengthen international cooperation, especially with countries of the Global South, particularly through capacity building, technology sharing, and financing under different mechanisms. There would be specific focus on CRDI in terms of expanding its scope – broader engagement; and scale – among more member states.
  1. Information Society: India is engaging actively in the WSIS+20 review process with strong commitment to the WSIS vision of a people-centric, inclusive, and development-oriented Information Society, by preserving and strengthening the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, promoting a universal, open, unfragmented, safe, reliable, stable, accessible, multilingual, interoperable, free and secure use of and access to the Internet; ensuring equitable participation of developing countries in digital policy processes, promoting affordable and inclusive access to digital infrastructure, recognizing effective participation of relevant stakeholders within their respective roles and responsibilities especially with equitable representation from developing countries in the World Summit on the Information Society in developing a safe and secure information society.
  1. International Tax Cooperation: India is actively participating in the ongoing intergovernmental negotiations towards the development of a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation and its two associated protocols, recognizing the importance of a fair, inclusive, and effective global tax architecture.
  1. Statistical Commission: India was elected as a Member of United Nations Statistical Commission for a four-year term beginning on 1 January, 2024 after almost 2 decades. India actively participated as a member in the 56th Session of the Commission held from March 4 to 7, 2025 and expressed interest in joining various working groups and task teams, including Working Group on implementation of System of National Accounts (SNA), Data Science Leaders Network, UN Network of Economic Statisticians UN National Quality Assurance Framework and Task Team on Statistical Business Register during the remaining part of its term, including the 80th session. Given the scale, complexity and diversity of India’s economy and data ecosystem, India’s active participation in the UN Statistics system would add unique value to ongoing global discussions-especially in ensuring the representation of perspectives from developing and emerging economies.
  1. UN Convention on Law of the Seas (UNCLOS): India signed the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Ares beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and is in the process of ratification. India will also take part in the second session of the Preparatory Commission for the 1st Conference of Parties of the BBNJ that is scheduled to be held from 18 to 29 August 2025. India’s engagement with UNCLOS during the 80th session will continue to be constructive.

D. Human Rights and Social Issues

  1. India will continue to play an active role in all UN engagements on matters concerning social, cultural and human rights issues in the GA. Our engagement in the UN on such topics will be underpinned by the vision of inclusive development as enunciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the slogan ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwas Sabka Prayas’. Our engagement will focus on scalable practical models for social development, empowerment of women, and health care for all with a focus on the Global South.
  1. India is a member of the Commission on the Status of Women, a functional commission of the UN ECOSOC and the principal intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. As a member, India will play a constructive role in the Commission’s efforts in monitoring and reviewing progress and crafting solutions to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and in mainstreaming a gender perspective in UN activities. The 70th session of the Commission will take place in New York from 9-20 March 2026. Our focus would be in finalizing concise and actionable recommendations to realize the agenda of women-empowerment globally with an emphasis on women-led development, digital and financial inclusion, entrepreneurship and enhanced participation in governance. India will also endeavor to play an active role in revitalizing the Commission by streamlining its work.
  1. India will continue its close cooperation with developing countries including within the framework of G77 and NAM on social development issues. India will also closely engage with the UN on topics related to strengthening the rights and enhancing the participation of youth, disabled and indigenous people in the UN activities.
  1. India is a member of the Commission for Social Development (CSOC-D), a functional commission of ECOSOC, and the advisory body responsible for the social development pillar of global development. During the 80th session, India will advocate for sustainable and inclusive growth that can lead to equal opportunities and empowerment of citizens through education, healthcare, skill development, and social infrastructure development. The 64th session of the Commission will take place from 2- 11 February 2026. India will continue to use the general debate and other platforms to highlight its national policies and programs focused on inclusive and sustainable growth, and directed towards realization of Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ (Developed India 2047).
  1. The 2nd World Summit for Social Development scheduled to be held in Doha from 4-6 November 2025 presents an excellent opportunity to underscore the importance India attaches to a political declaration that helps leverage emerging technologies, particularly AI and DPI as catalysts for social and financial inclusion, create consensus towards adopting women-led development, recognizing women's vital role in social, economic, and cultural development of nations, enhance healthcare access including through digital health, universal health coverage systems and strong primary healthcare infrastructure, and enhancing opportunities for decent work particularly through quality education and addressing skill gaps.
  1. Protection and promotion of human rights is a vital area of focus in advancing economic, social and cultural development. India will continue to emphasize that discussions on Human Rights at the UN should be held with a constructive approach and human rights processes at the UN should emphasize on dialogue, cooperation, transparency and non-selectivity in the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedom for everyone. The focus of the Human Rights Council, the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Special Rapporteurs and the entire Treaty Body mechanisms must be to strengthen the capabilities of national governments in their efforts towards promotion and protection of human rights. India has presented four Universal Periodic Reviews on its implementation of various human rights conventions. India will continue to engage constructively to enhance transparency and objectivity in UN processes aimed at strengthening human rights and will play a constructive role in streamlining their mandates.
  1. India is a member of Commission on Population and Development (CPD), a functional commission of ECOSOC, that assists and advises the Council on population issues and trends, population and development strategies, policies and programmes. The priority theme of the 59th session of CPD is centered on “Population, technology and research in the context of sustainable development”. India will focus on the significant progress made in the field of population development and utilize the general debate and other platforms of the Commission to highlight India’s progress in poverty eradication, innovative use of technology for health, education and skill development in our endeavor to attain sustainable development goals.
  1. The topic of health is an area of keen interest and engagement for India within the UN. India’s engagement in the UN during the 80th session in the field will focus on use of digital technology to enhance healthcare service delivery. Access to affordable medicines, robust primary healthcare infrastructure, community-based approach and universal health coverage will be the other key focus areas. In the 80th session, the UN Member States will be evaluating the progress achieved towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The Covid Pandemic and its aftermath led to the negotiations and adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement by its Member States in May 2025. As a follow up, the UN will be engaged in formulating an agenda for prevention, preparedness and response to global pandemics. India will be actively engaged in these negotiations. Further, India would also be actively engaged in the discussions on adoption of a political declaration on non-communicable diseases on the sidelines of the General Debate during the 80th
  1. Under the plenary agenda item ‘Culture of Peace’, India will continue to call upon the UN for a comprehensive approach to the agenda as envisioned in the UN Declaration on Culture of Peace and Programme of Action adopted in 1999. India will also call for inclusivity in dialogue and objectivity in the views of United Nations Alliance of Civilizations to ensure that the inter-cultural engagements and inter-religious dialogue are broad-based and not selectively focused. India would continue to impress upon the Alliance that it should not be used as a platform for divisive political rhetoric and must focus on issues that unite the UN membership.
  1. In the 80th session, India will endeavor to enhance awareness and strengthen ties by celebrating the shared cultural heritage of Buddhism, practice of Yoga and meditation. India will continue its close cooperation with developing countries including within the framework of G77 and NAM on social development issues.

E. Decolonization

  1. India has been a champion in the fight against colonialism in all its forms and manifestations. India was a co-sponsor of the 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and also the first Chair of the Decolonization Committee (Committee of 24). India subscribes to a pragmatic approach towards decolonization that would pave the way for the fulfillment of legitimate wishes of the people of Non-Self Governing Territories. India will continue to remain active in these efforts and contribute conscientiously towards it.

F. Administrative and Financial matters

  1. India supports sustainable and predictable financing of the UN system, and would particularly emphasize during the upcoming session of the General Assembly towards this end on - Secretary General’s reports on the revised budget proposal for 2026; and mandate implementation review emanating from UN@80 Initiative.
  1. India will actively participate in all financing and administrative agenda items, including on revised estimates of the regular budget for 2026, that contains the special political missions and the peacekeeping budget. India considers that resources should be used effectively and efficiently. India would closely monitor the impact of budget cuts on mandate reduction of peacekeeping operations especially in Missions where Indian troops are present. India will focus on ensuring that the staffing mandates of the UN are carried out in a rule-based framework with emphasis on principles of equitable geographical representation and gender parity.
  1. The Peacebuilding Architecture Review for 2025, the fourth review process since inception of the Peacebuilding Commission, seeks to promote national peacebuilding and prevention strategies, mainstream conflict prevention in peacebuilding context, and strengthen the role of the Peacebuilding India strongly supports national ownership and leadership in peacebuilding and voluntary national prevention strategies. India considers that financial and technical assistance through Peacebuilding Commission should be to support national peacebuilding priorities, including institution building. India will continue to pursue these priorities during the ongoing negotiations of the 2025 PBAR draft resolution.

G. Peacekeeping

  1. India is proud of its long and rich tradition of contribution to UN peacekeeping operations. India has contributed nearly 300,000 troops in more than 53 Missions. This is cumulatively the largest from any country. 182 Indian peacekeepers have also made the supreme sacrifice while serving for peace.
  2. The ever-expanding mandates of peacekeeping missions with limited resources in the backdrop of growing challenges and complexities, involving armed groups, non-state actors and terrorists have made the ground situation more difficult for the UN peacekeepers. India will work with other troop and police contributing countries towards reducing the burden on peacekeepers with responsibilities which ought to primarily lie with the host state or other relevant international organizations. Further, timely reimbursement of claims of Troop Contributing Countries and simplification and streamlining of rules and policies are other areas India would focus on.
  3. India will also seek to improve host state capabilities, particularly to discharge their responsibilities towards safety and security of Peacekeepers. India will promote Indian equipment and popularize renewable energy. India will also continue to play a proactive role in building a Memorial Wall for fallen peacekeepers.
  4. India will continue to share its experience with close partners and impart capacity building programmes. In doing so, India will build upon themes such as the role of women in peacekeeping and take forward further from the conference on ‘Enhancing the Role of Women in Peacekeeping: A Global South Experience’ that brought together officials from 35 countries across the Global South in February 2025.

H. Counter-terrorism

  1. India has always been at the forefront of global counter terrorism efforts. India has signed and ratified all the major conventions and protocols on terrorism adopted by the UN and are part of all major global initiatives in this regard. India took the initiative in piloting the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism with the objective of providing a comprehensive legal framework to combat terrorism as early as 1996.
  1. India works closely with the The Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT) and supports its capacity building efforts, including through financial commitment to its two global programs on countering financing of terrorism (CFT) and countering terrorist travel program (CTTP). India will continue to advocate for strengthening the counter terrorism architecture of the United Nations. India makes continuous efforts to highlight the devastating impacts of terrorism across the globe. The exhibition titled ‘The Human Cost of Terrorism’ organized by India in the UN in July 2025 was also part of this
  2. As terrorists are vastly building their capabilities and gaining access to new and emerging technologies, India will continue to drive its counter-terrorism efforts in partnership with UNOCT, other UN agencies and like-minded countries in the 80th India will follow up on the Delhi Declaration in 2022 that drew up a set of guiding principles for member states to counter the misuse of new and emerging technologies by terrorists. In these efforts, India will underscore that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations are condemned categorically. Similarly, labeling of terrorism into various categories is also counter-productive.

I. Disarmament

  1. India is steadfast in its commitment to the goal of universal, non- discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament. As a responsible nuclear weapon State, India is committed to its nuclear doctrine of maintaining credible minimum deterrence with no- first use and non-use against non-nuclear weapon States as its core principles. India attaches high importance to the CWC and supports all efforts to strengthen the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to enable it to fulfill its mandate within the framework of the Convention.
  2. India has been consistent in expressing concerns on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, which endangers international peace and security especially the possibility of terrorists acquiring weapons of mass destruction. India’s annual UNGA Resolution titled "Measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction" would continue to feature in the 80th session as well.
  1. As a major space-faring nation, India has vital interests in space activities and technologies that contribute considerably to the rapid economic and social development. India believes that Outer Space should remain an ever-expanding frontier cooperative endeavour rather than conflict. India will continue to contribute actively towards this end in the 80th UNGA.
  2. Other areas in which India would engage in this sphere in the upcoming session would include the increasing use of cyberspace for terrorist purposes, promoting awareness and capacity building, especially engaging with the younger generation for building capacity in disarmament through research and education etc.
  3. Since 2019, India has been organizing an Annual Disarmament and International Security Affairs Fellowship, one of its kind in the world, aside from the UN Disarmament Fellowship. The fellowship program aims to fulfill the mandate of the UNGA Resolution “United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education”. The fifth edition of the fellowship program was held in New Delhi in January 2025 and it covered 34 diplomats from 33 countries.

J. UNSC Reforms

  1. As the 79th session of the UNGA failed to achieve any concrete outcomes with regard to Security Council reforms, India will continue to push for tangible results in the 80th session in order make UNSC more relevant to the present times. In the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process, India will strive to achieve early commencement of text-based negotiations that is linked to well laid out milestones and time frames. In doing so, India will coordinate with other reform-oriented Member States and groups.

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