Jaishankar Begins Packed UN Week as India Campaigns for Security Council Seat

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar began a packed week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday, September 21, 2026, with India joining the Partnership for Multilateralism and stepping up its campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

India joined the grouping, known as P4M, which was launched by the European Union, Brazil, Canada and Kenya. It endorses multilateral cooperation and support for the United Nations. India became an additional co-sponsor along with Australia and Barbados. The P4M meeting was one of several bilateral and multilateral engagements Mr. Jaishankar attended soon after arriving.

His main task this week is to gather support for India's candidature for UNSC non-permanent membership for 2028-2029. Elections will be held next year. India has been elected to the Security Council eight times. In most past elections, India was the single candidate put forward by the Asia-Pacific group. This time, Tajikistan has also announced its candidature. Unless the two countries reach a compromise, such as Tajikistan stepping aside in exchange for support in a future election, the seat could go to a contest.

Officials and diplomats will therefore watch closely any meeting between Mr. Jaishankar and Tajikistan's Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin. His meetings with ministers from other Central Asian countries and the Global South will also be watched for announcements of support for India's bid. Earlier this month, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon. Ministry of External Affairs officials said they could not confirm whether Mr. Modi received any assurance on the UNSC seat, because the meeting took place during the SCO Council of Heads of State Summit with restricted access for officials.

Within hours of landing in New York, Mr. Jaishankar met foreign ministers from France, Ecuador, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova and Switzerland. He also met the President of Nauru, attended the P4M meeting, held another meeting with European Union ministers, and took part in an India-Visegrad group meeting with Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia.

These meetings with European leaders, along with expected meetings this week with counterparts from the United States and Canada, are also seen as preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visits to Brussels, Miami and Ottawa in December. Mr. Jaishankar is expected to remain in New York until he addresses the General Assembly later this week.

A significant meeting will be with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. It comes days after the U.S. Congress passed the Lindsey Graham Sanctions on Russia and Iran Act, which seeks to penalise countries importing oil from Russia and Iran. India imported more than 51% of its oil from Russia last month, making it one of the main targets of the law. U.S. President Donald Trump has been mandated by the law to impose tariffs of up to 100% on such countries. The Jaishankar-Rubio meeting is also expected to prepare for possible Modi-Trump bilateral meetings at the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines in November and the G20 Summit in the United States in December.

Another closely watched engagement will be with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, who begins his tenure as President of the General Assembly in this session. Their discussions are expected to cover next year's UNGA agenda and plans to intensify the UN reforms process that India has been pushing.

India's participation in P4M and its UNSC campaign reflect its broader effort to strengthen multilateral institutions and build support among both developed and developing countries. The week's meetings will be important for India's diplomatic outreach, with outcomes likely to shape its chances in next year's Security Council election and its preparations for high-level visits later in the year.