United Nations
India was a non-permanent member of the Security Council for 2021–22. The Ministry keeps an overview of India's work across the UN system.
MEA Annual Report 2020–21MEA — India and the United Nations (brief)MEA — India and the UN
Forum matrix
Multilateral Diplomacy
Seven forums set out in one grid: when each was established, India's status, the terms India has chaired and the documented participation of the External Affairs Minister.
Forum matrix
| Forum | Established | India's status | India chaired / presided | Documented EAM participation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United NationsNew York · 40°45′N / 73°58′W | 1945 | Founding member. Non-permanent member of the Security Council, 2021–22. | — | National statements at the UNGA General Debate: 78th (2023), 79th (2024), 80th (2025) |
| G20Rotating presidency | 1999 | Member | Presidency, 1 Dec 2022 – 30 Nov 2023 | G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, New Delhi, 2 March 2023 |
| BRICSRotating chairship | BRIC summits from 2009 | Founding member | Chairship, 2026 | Launched the logo, theme and website for the 2026 Chairship, 13 January 2026 |
| SCOShanghai Cooperation Organisation | 2001 | Full member since June 2017 | Chairmanship, 2023 | Council of Foreign Ministers, Tianjin, 15 July 2025 |
| QuadIndia · Australia · Japan · US | Came together in 2004 for the tsunami response | Member | Hosted Foreign Ministers' Meeting, New Delhi, 26 May 2026 | Foreign Ministers' Meetings including Tokyo (Jul 2024), Washington (Jan and Jul 2025) and New Delhi (May 2026) |
| ASEAN-led forumsARF · EAS · ASEAN–India | ASEAN 1967 | Dialogue Partner since 1995; Comprehensive Strategic Partner since 2022 | — | ASEAN–India and EAS Foreign Ministers' meetings and the ARF, Vientiane (Jul 2024); 20th East Asia Summit, Kuala Lumpur (Oct 2025) |
| Voice of Global South SummitIndia-convened | 2023 | Convenor | Three summits, 2023–2024 | Opened foreign ministers' sessions at the 2nd and 3rd summits |
SCO founding year: the SCO Secretariat. Other rows: MEA briefs and releases, listed in the notes below.
Institutional background
Forum notes
G20
The G20 was founded in 1999, after the Asian financial crisis, as a forum for finance ministers and central bank governors, and was later raised to leaders' level. It has no charter or secretariat. During India's Presidency, the African Union was admitted as a permanent member at the New Delhi Summit on 9 September 2023.
MEA — G20 briefPIB — PresidencyMEA — Leaders’ Declaration (PDF)
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
The process for India's full membership began at the SCO's Tashkent meeting in 2016 and was completed at the Astana Summit in June 2017. India held the SCO Chairmanship in 2023.
MEA — Brief on India–SCO cooperationMEA — SCO under India’s ChairmanshipSCO Secretariat
Quad
According to the MEA, the Quad first came together to coordinate the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Officials first met in May 2007 and met again in Manila in November 2017. Foreign ministers first met in September 2019, and the grouping was raised to leaders' level in 2021. Its four pillars of cooperation are maritime and transnational security; economic prosperity and security; critical and emerging technologies; and humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
MEA — Quad brief (July 2026)MEA — Joint Statement, 26 May 2026
ASEAN-led mechanisms
ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967. India became a Sectoral Dialogue Partner in 1992 and a full Dialogue Partner in 1995. Engagement reached summit level in 2002, and the relationship became a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in November 2022.
BRICS
India holds the BRICS Chairship in 2026. The External Affairs Minister launched its logo, theme and website on 13 January 2026. The theme is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.