SRINAGAR: India has backed a United Nations General Assembly resolution promoting the use of equal-area world map projections, while making it clear that any depiction of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh must conform to India’s official map.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday said New Delhi voted in favour of the resolution but underlined that its support did not amount to endorsement of any particular map, cartographic projection or depiction of national boundaries.
India’s position came after the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution titled ‘Correct the Map: Rebalancing Global Cartographic Representation and Promoting Equitable Representation of the World’s Regions, Particularly Africa’ on September 4.
The resolution, sponsored by Togo, was adopted with 164 countries voting in favour. Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine abstained, while the United States was the only country to vote against it.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had supported the resolution based on the principle of promoting equal-area cartographic representation, which seeks to preserve the relative sizes of continental landmasses on world maps.
Our response to media queries regarding a UN General Assembly resolution on equal-area world map ⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/sAnpGhX3fA pic.twitter.com/Cfyn3jMcOG
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 6, 2026
“India’s sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be depicted in accordance with India’s official map. Any inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable,” Jaiswal said.
He stressed that India’s position on its sovereignty and territorial integrity remained “clear, consistent and non-negotiable”.
Jaiswal also clarified that the UN resolution neither adopts nor authenticates any specific world map. He said it does not deal with political cartography, including international boundaries, disputed territories or place names.
The resolution primarily seeks to encourage the use of equal-area map projections, which provide a more proportionate representation of the relative size of continents and regions compared with conventional projections.
India’s explanation of vote, however, drew a clear distinction between the technical objective of improving world-map representation and the country’s position on its territorial integrity, particularly with regard to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
