Permanent Mission of India
New York
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Annual Report of the Security Council – GA Plenary

Statement by Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, Permanent Representative

5 June 2026

Mr. President,

At the outset, I would like to place on record our heartiest congratulations to the five newly elected members of the UN Security Council for the 2027-28 term, Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe. We look forward to working with each of you and wish you all success.

Mr. President,

2. Today’s meeting gains particular salience as consideration of the Security Council Annual Report by the General Assembly is explicitly provided for in the UN Charter. As a principal organ of the UN, the Security Council has been primarily tasked with the onerous responsibility of maintenance of international peace and security. Therefore, India reiterates that today’s discussion is not to be treated as a purely procedural matter. Against this backdrop, I would like to make the following points:

First, submission and consideration of the Security Council Annual Report through the General Assembly offers a wonderful platform for the wider UN membership to reflect upon and share their views regarding the functioning of the Council in the past year. Annual Report of the Security Council, therefore, needs to be analytical in nature. It should not be a compilation of facts. Areas of improvement and gaps, if any, with regard to discharging Council’s core mandate of maintenance of International Peace and Security must feature prominently in the report.

Second, the Annual Report follows a standard template. Inclusion of several significant elements could enrich the value of the report and help serve its purpose better. Please allow me to offer a specific example. Peacekeeping is an important tool available at the disposal of the Security Council to fulfill its critical responsibilities. However, the standard template of the report largely excludes finer points pertaining to operational modalities, associated challenges, the review of respective mandates etc with regard to peacekeeping.

Third, the Annual Report discussion in the General Assembly is usually held towards the end of the first half of the subsequent year. The world witnesses considerable changes during the six-month period. 2026 has been no different in this regard. Therefore, India urges that this aspect be accorded due importance and the report may be submitted for consideration of the General Assembly in the early part of the year itself.

Mr. President,

3. The unwarranted reference by Pakistan to a matter strictly internal to India, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, has compelled me to respond. Pakistan has decided not to spare this forum either from their characteristic misuse of august UN platforms for their divisive political interests. Abuse of its presence on the Security Council by Pakistan, including through the circulation of several misinformed and misleading communications also testifies to this counter-productive approach. I would like to remind Pakistan that being a member of the UN Security Council is a huge responsibility. It is not a forum for peddling biased and false narratives.

4. I would like to make it loud and clear. Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. Any assertions to the contrary are baseless, devoid of and inconsistent with historical facts. Empty rhetoric and hollow claims by Pakistan would not change this fundamental reality.

5. In the interest of time of the wider UN membership, I would not delve any further into this.

Mr. President,

6. Finally, we all recognize the importance of reform of the Security Council to make it fit-for-purpose to handle contemporary and future challenges we face. The current structure reflects geopolitical realities of 1945. Retaining the staus quo has so far not enabled effective functioning of the Security Council and cannot do so in future. The marginal reform in the 1960’s that expanded only the non-permanent category has not changed the fundamental mode of functioning of the Security Council in any impactful manner. Expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories is central to implementing real and meaningful reform.

7. In closing, it is India’s hope that greater importance is attached to the formulation of the Annual Report and its consideration thereof by the General Assembly so as to accurately capture spirit of Article 24(3) of the UN Charter.

I thank you, Mr. President.