🗞️ Why in News At the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, India on 21 September 2026 became a co-sponsor of the Partners for Multilateralism, International Law, Peace and Prosperity (P4M) initiative at its inaugural summit, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the first Visegrad Group (V4) + India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, where Slovakia’s Foreign Minister said all four V4 countries back India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council. India is campaigning for a non-permanent UNSC seat for 2028-29, in an election due next year.
P4M: A Coalition for Multilateralism
The P4M initiative, first put forward by the European Union, Brazil, Canada and Kenya, was formally launched at its first summit on the sidelines of UNGA-81 with seven co-sponsors: Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, the EU, India and Kenya. The summit was co-chaired by leaders and ministers of the co-sponsors, including Jaishankar and European Council President António Costa. Its declaration calls for a multilateral system that is more effective, representative and inclusive, and reaffirms support for international law and the UN Charter.
The grouping is notable for what it is not: none of its members is a superpower. It brings together middle powers from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific around the defence of multilateral institutions, at a time when, as Jaishankar put it, “the global order is under stress”. India used the forum to press its long-standing call for “reformed multilateralism”, including more participative deliberation and transparent decision-making at the UN.
V4+India: A New Format with Central Europe
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Visegrad Group (V4) | Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic |
| Founded | 1991 at Visegrad, Hungary, by Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland; four members after Czechoslovakia split in 1993 |
| Meeting | First V4+India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, 21 September 2026, New York, under Slovakia’s presidency of the V4 |
| Headline | Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar: India “must be at the table as the permanent member of the UN Security Council” |
| Agreed | Annual foreign ministers’ meetings and an annual business forum |
| Areas | Trade and investment, technology and innovation, resilient supply chains, defence, connectivity, education, mobility |
All four V4 countries are members of both the European Union and NATO. The new format complements India’s bilateral ties with each of them, notably with Poland, with which India upgraded ties to a Strategic Partnership in 2024.
The UNSC Election for 2028-29
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Seat sought | Non-permanent seat for 2028-29, from the Asia-Pacific group |
| Election | Due at the General Assembly in 2027 |
| Rival | Tajikistan has also declared its candidature; unless a compromise is reached, the seat will be contested |
| India’s record | Elected eight times: 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92, 2011-12 and 2021-22 |
| Upcoming | Jaishankar is scheduled to address the General Assembly on 26 September 2026 |
The General Assembly’s 81st session is presided over by Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh (see our earlier report on the UNGA-81 session).
How the Security Council Works
| Provision | Content |
|---|---|
| Article 23 | 15 members: 5 permanent (China, France, Russia, UK, US) and 10 non-permanent, elected for two-year terms; five elected each year; retiring members not eligible for immediate re-election |
| Election threshold | A two-thirds majority of members present and voting in the General Assembly |
| Expansion | Membership rose from 11 to 15 by a Charter amendment adopted in 1963 and in force from 1965 |
| Article 27 | Substantive decisions need nine votes, including the concurring votes of the permanent members (the veto) |
| Article 108 | Charter amendments need a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of members, including all five permanent members |
The reform landscape. Negotiations take place in the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) at the General Assembly. The G4 (India, Brazil, Germany, Japan) seek permanent seats for one another; the Uniting for Consensus group opposes new permanent members; the African Union’s Ezulwini Consensus seeks two permanent seats with veto and additional non-permanent seats for Africa; the L.69 group of developing countries also backs expansion in both categories.
Why It Matters
Coalition-building over a single bargain. Permanent membership needs Article 108’s double threshold, including every P5 member’s ratification, which makes it a long game. India is therefore building support in layers: bilateral endorsements (now all four V4 states), plurilateral groupings (P4M) and the non-permanent seat as a platform.
Multi-alignment in practice. India is in the US-led technology partnerships, in BRICS and the SCO, and now in a middle-power grouping for multilateralism. P4M gives it a forum that is neither Western-led nor China-led.
The immediate test. India has usually been the single name put forward by the Asia-Pacific group, so a contested election against Tajikistan, a fellow SCO member, would be unusual. How New Delhi handles it, whether by persuasion or by a vote, will be watched across Central Asia and the Global South.
UPSC Relevance
GS Paper 2. Important international institutions, agencies and fora, their structure and mandate; bilateral, regional and global groupings involving India.
A question worth preparing. Do new coalitions of middle powers such as P4M advance or dilute India’s pursuit of UN Security Council reform? Discuss. (250 words)
The Mains framing. Explain why reform is hard (Article 108, divided coalitions: G4 against Uniting for Consensus). Show India’s layered strategy: bilateral endorsements, plurilateral groupings, non-permanent terms. Assess P4M: it strengthens the case for inclusive multilateralism, but its members do not all agree on how the Council should be reformed. Conclude that coalitions build legitimacy while the decisive votes remain with the P5.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
Prelims, statement-ready facts:
- On 21 September 2026 India became a co-sponsor of P4M at its first summit, at UNGA-81 in New York.
- P4M stands for Partners for Multilateralism, International Law, Peace and Prosperity.
- P4M’s seven co-sponsors: Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, the EU, India and Kenya.
- The first V4+India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held on 21 September 2026 under Slovakia’s V4 presidency.
- V4: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic; founded in 1991 at Visegrad, Hungary.
- India seeks a UNSC non-permanent seat for 2028-29; Tajikistan is also a candidate.
- India has been elected to the UNSC eight times, most recently for 2021-22.
- UNGA-81 is presided over by Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh.
- Article 23: 15 UNSC members, 10 non-permanent, elected for two years.
Prelims, the traps:
- V4 has four members; it was founded with three in 1991 (Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland).
- Non-permanent members cannot be re-elected immediately after their term.
- A Charter amendment needs ratification by all five permanent members (Article 108).
- The G4 is India, Brazil, Germany and Japan; Uniting for Consensus opposes new permanent seats.
Mains, arguments and keywords:
- India builds support in layers: bilateral endorsements, plurilateral groupings, non-permanent terms.
- P4M offers a middle-power forum that is neither Western-led nor China-led.
- Article 108’s double threshold makes permanent membership a long game.
- Keywords: reformed multilateralism, P4M, V4, IGN, G4, Uniting for Consensus, Ezulwini Consensus, Article 108.
Interview, be ready for:
- “Is a permanent seat realistic?” Not soon, given Article 108; but endorsements and effective non-permanent terms build the case.
- “Why contest against Tajikistan, a friendly SCO partner?” India prefers consensus and will seek a compromise, but a contested election is legitimate and India’s record strengthens its case.
Source: India at UNGA-81: Joins the P4M Grouping, First V4+India Meeting, and the Race for a 2028-29 UNSC Seat — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
