India has renewed its push for UNSC reforms, saying the United Nations Security Council must not be used to advance narrow political interests or undermine global efforts against terrorism.
Speaking at an open debate on the Council's working methods, India's Chargé d'Affaires at the UN, Ambassador Yojna Patel, said the need for reform had become “more pronounced and pressing than ever before”. She argued that the Council's procedures must reflect the realities of today's world rather than structures created in the aftermath of World War II.
India's position combines two long-standing concerns: improving the transparency of sanctions committees and expanding representation for developing countries.
Terror Listing Under Scrutiny
Patel specifically raised concerns over the process used to list and delist individuals and entities under UN sanctions regimes.
She said decisions on terrorism-related listings should be based on transparent, objective criteria and supporting evidence, rather than political considerations. India also argued that the Council should not be instrumentalised to legitimise terrorists through politically motivated delisting decisions.
India has previously made similar demands for greater transparency in the Council's sanctions committees. In an earlier statement, it criticised the blocking of evidence-based listing proposals without adequate explanation and called for objective listing and delisting procedures.
China-Pakistan Reference
Although Patel did not name any country in the remarks cited in the source material, India's criticism is widely understood in the context of repeated disputes over terrorism designations involving Pakistan-based groups.
India has previously objected to the use of technical holds or other procedural mechanisms to delay terrorism-designation proposals. The issue has been particularly sensitive when proposals have involved individuals linked to Pakistan-based militant organisations.
The latest remarks therefore carry significance for India's broader campaign against what it describes as selective approaches to counter-terrorism at the UN.
Global South Representation
India also renewed its demand for a more representative Security Council, arguing that the present structure does not adequately reflect the modern international system.
Patel pointed to the dramatic expansion of UN membership since 1945 and said the Council's composition should not remain permanently determined by the outcome of an 80-year-old conflict.
India wants expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories, with greater representation for the Global South. New Delhi has consistently maintained that meaningful reform requires negotiations based on an agreed text, accompanied by clear milestones and timelines.
Working Methods Need Change
India also rejected the idea that changes to the Council's working methods could be considered separately from broader institutional reform.
Patel said discussions on working methods must be connected with questions involving membership categories, regional representation and the veto.
India has repeatedly argued that procedural reforms alone cannot address what it sees as the Council's deeper representative deficit. In a previous UN statement, India said the reform process required a comprehensive approach rather than changes limited to individual clusters.
Terrorism Remains Key Issue
India has made counter-terrorism a major part of its diplomatic agenda at the United Nations. New Delhi has consistently called for countries to avoid double standards and has urged that terrorist organisations and individuals be assessed through objective criteria.
The UN itself continues to strengthen its counter-terrorism framework. Its Office of Counter-Terrorism's 2026–28 strategy focuses on transparency, accountability and more effective implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
The Security Council's counter-terrorism bodies also continue to examine threats including terrorist financing, emerging technologies and evolving methods used by extremist organisations.
What Happens Next
India is expected to continue pressing for UNSC reform through the UN's intergovernmental negotiations process. New Delhi has called for text-based negotiations with defined milestones rather than an open-ended exchange of positions.
The immediate challenge will be building consensus among UN member states on representation, veto arrangements, membership categories and the working methods of the Council.
For India, the latest intervention links these institutional questions directly with counter-terrorism. New Delhi's message is that a more representative Security Council must also ensure that terrorism listings and delistings remain evidence-based and transparent, rather than becoming instruments of political bargaining.
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