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India names AI and maritime security as priorities for UNSC 2028-29 bid; Tajikistan is the rival
India's UN envoy, Harish Parvathaneni, told a Security Council debate that AI and maritime security are priorities of its 2028-29 non-permanent seat bid and called for safeguards on autonomous systems. India and Tajikistan are competing for one Asia-Pacific seat; the vote is expected in June 2027.
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3 min
India has named artificial intelligence and maritime security as important priorities of its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for 2028-29. The country's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said so at a high-level Security Council discussion on emerging technologies and maritime security, according to reports dated 30 October. India and Tajikistan are competing for the single seat reserved for the Asia-Pacific group, and the vote is expected in June 2027.
What Parvathaneni said
He said that shared maritime areas should be made more secure instead of becoming sources of dispute. He spoke against cyber threats and attacks on commercial ships, which he said endanger seafarers, disrupt supply chains and raise costs for developing countries. He said developing countries need access to technology, training and institutional capacity to protect their maritime infrastructure.
On artificial intelligence, he said it could improve the understanding of the maritime domain by analysing satellite images, radar and ship-tracking data, and could help detect suspicious activity. He cited the Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region, near India, as an example of how cooperation and information sharing strengthen maritime security. He said India's approach follows its SAGAR vision, which stands for Security and Growth for All in the Region.
On autonomous systems, he said they make it hard to determine responsibility for incidents, and he called for safeguards, meaningful human oversight and clear responsibilities when emerging technologies are deployed.
The backdrop
The discussion took place as Iran's navy reported that three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz had struck sea mines and caught fire, according to one report, which the reports found do not independently confirm. India itself has had Indian seafarers caught up in attacks on shipping in the strait this week, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar raised the matter at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta.
India is seeking a non-permanent seat for the 2028-29 term. The election for the single Asia-Pacific seat is between India and Tajikistan, and it is expected in June 2027, which one report describes as June of next year. One analysis says that winning needs a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly members who are present and voting, which would be 129 votes if all 193 members vote. Unlike India's run for the 2021-22 term, when it was unanimously endorsed by the Asia-Pacific group, this contest requires active coalition-building, according to the same analysis.
A separate UN open debate on 18 September gave Parvathaneni a chance to put peacekeeping at the centre of the campaign, according to a report, and the campaign manifesto is called Shanti. Jaishankar formally launched the bid at the UN in June 2026, with peacekeeping reform as a central plank. These details come from secondary sources and are not covered in the reports of the 30 October debate.
The reports found do not say which countries have declared support for India or for Tajikistan, and they do not give the status of Tajikistan's campaign. They also do not say what India has proposed on the council's working methods, and they do not mention India's earlier terms as a non-permanent member, which the reports describe only by contrast with the 2021-22 run.
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3 min
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