United Nations, Oct 30: Maritime security and Artificial Intelligence will be key priorities for India during its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2028-29 term, India’s envoy to the UN has said.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said on Thursday that technology must make shared maritime commons safer, not more contested.
“Oceans are the arteries of global commerce, connecting economies, sustaining livelihoods and ensuring food and energy security. Their safety and security are indispensable to international peace and prosperity,” Parvathaneni said.
Addressing the high-level open debate on ‘Emerging Technologies and Maritime Security: Implications for Peace and Security’ at the Security Council, India has identified Artificial Intelligence (AI) and maritime security as important priorities for its candidature to the Security Council for 2028–2029.
Parvathaneni said that emerging technologies are fundamentally transforming the maritime domain.
“Artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, satellite-based surveillance and advanced cyber capabilities offer unprecedented opportunities to strengthen maritime security. Equally, their misuse presents new challenges that demand our collective attention,” he said.
“Our objective is clear: technology must strengthen human security, not undermine it; it must expand opportunity, not inequality; and it must make our shared maritime commons safer, not more contested. India stands ready to work with all partners towards this objective,” he said.
India stressed that technological advances must not deepen existing disparities.
“Developing countries require access to technology, training and institutional capabilities to secure their maritime infrastructure and participate meaningfully in shaping technological governance,” Parvathaneni said.
New Delhi has announced its candidature for a non-permanent seat at the Security Council for the 2028-29 term, elections for which will be conducted in June next year, when India and Tajikistan will compete for the sole seat in the Asia-Pacific Group category.
Parvathaneni underscored the need to safeguard freedom of navigation and maritime commerce, saying recent attacks against commercial shipping have demonstrated how disruptions at critical maritime chokepoints can have consequences far beyond their immediate geography.
“They threaten seafarers, disrupt supply chains and disproportionately affect developing countries through higher costs and economic uncertainty,” he said, reiterating India’s strong condemnation of attacks against commercial vessels.
He said Delhi reiterates the importance of freedom of navigation, unimpeded lawful maritime commerce and the safety of seafarers, in accordance with international law.
Highlighting the need to harness technology to strengthen maritime security, Parvathaneni said AI-enabled analysis of satellite imagery, radar and vessel-tracking data can improve maritime domain awareness, detect suspicious activities and support search and rescue operations.
In this context, India’s Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region, located near New Delhi, demonstrates the value of cooperation and information-sharing in strengthening maritime security.
“Our approach is guided by the vision of SAGAR — Security and Growth for All in the Region — and the broader commitment to inclusive maritime cooperation,” he said.
Calling on the international community to address emerging technological vulnerabilities, he said increasing digitalisation and automation also expose ports, vessels, communication networks and undersea infrastructure to cyber threats.
“The proliferation of autonomous systems raises complex questions of attribution, accountability and unintended escalation. We must therefore ensure appropriate safeguards, meaningful human oversight and clear responsibility in the deployment of emerging technologies,” he said.
India emphasised that the UN Charter and international law, including the law of the sea as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), provide the essential framework for State conduct.
India also called for strengthening international cooperation while respecting institutional mandates, saying the work of the International Maritime Organisation and other relevant institutions must be reinforced, not duplicated.
“The Security Council should focus on technological developments with demonstrable implications for international peace and security, encouraging practical cooperation, confidence-building and resilience,” Parvathaneni said.
The debate was held under Greece’s Presidency of the Security Council for the month of October.
In September, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had co-chaired an event ‘AI in the Context of International Peace & Security, with an Emphasis on Maritime Security’, alongside Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis on the margins of the high-level UN General Assembly week.
Jaishankar had emphasized the need to harness the possibilities offered by AI, anticipate its consequences and mitigate its risks. He had stressed that in the maritime domain, AI can enhance maritime domain awareness, search and rescue, disaster response, identification of suspicious activity and resilience of ports and critical infrastructure.
