Membership of the UN Security Council must not be used as a tool to “legitimise” terrorists by seeking their removal from the sanctions regime or to blacklist entities solely on “political considerations”, India has said, asserting that the powerful 15-nation body must not become a platform for pursuing narrow interests.
Addressing a Security Council open debate on working methods on Wednesday (August 19, 2026), Chargé d’Affaires at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Ambassador Yojna Patel flagged the need for greater transparency and objectivity in the listing and de-listing of terrorists and terror entities under the Council’s sanctions regimes. However, these bodies have not been able to deliver optimally in the recent past, primarily due to the delay in finalising the Chairs,” Ms. “Security Council membership brings significant responsibilities. “Listing and de-listing are a case in point. There must be more transparency and objectivity on this front. Presence in the Security Council must not be instrumentalised to legitimise terrorists by attempting to de-list them or to list other entities as terrorist organisations based solely on political considerations, without any objective criteria or supporting documentation,” Ms. “Subsidiary bodies serve important functions and enable better implementation of Security Council mandates.
This must not become a platform to pursue narrow political interests,” she said. Patel said. New Delhi has said evidence-based proposals to designate internationally sanctioned terrorists should not be blocked without adequate explanation, arguing that such practices undermine the Council’s stated commitment to combating terrorism. Denmark, which holds the Security Council presidency for August, said in a stakeout at the UN headquarters that the “unprecedented delay” in appointing chairs of the UNSC subsidiary bodies “undermines the Council’s effectiveness, credibility and institutional integrity”.
“For instance, elected members, and by implication, the General Assembly, must have a greater say in crucial aspects such as election of the UN Secretary-General,” Ms. Patel said.
