New Delhi: India on Sunday, September 6, said a UN-initiated proposed world map must depict Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in accordance with the country’s official map, and any “inaccurate” or “misleading” representation will be unacceptable.
New Delhi’s assertion came two days after it voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution aimed at correcting the world map to promote a more accurate representation of continental landmasses.
The resolution titled “Correct the Map: Rebalancing Global Cartographic Representation and Promoting Equitable Representation of the World’s Regions, Particularly Africa” was adopted on September 4.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India highlighted that the resolution does not constitute endorsement of any specific map, projection or depiction of national boundaries.
“India voted in favour of the resolution and also made an explanation of the vote, stressing the underlying principle of promoting equal – area cartographic representation,” he said.
Jaiswal was responding to a media query on the issue.
“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,” he said.
“Our position on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is clear, consistent and non-negotiable,” he noted.
Jaiswal said the purpose of the UN resolution is “to encourage the use of equal-area map projections that preserve the relative sizes of continental landmasses.”
“The resolution neither adopts nor authenticates any particular world map, nor does it address political cartography, including international boundaries, disputed territories or place names,” he said.
The 193-member UN General Assembly on September 4 overwhelmingly adopted the resolution ‘“Correct the map”: rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world’s regions, particularly Africa’.
The resolution was sponsored by Togo, receiving 164 votes in favour, with abstentions from Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine, and a lone vote against from the United States.
The resolution noted that the Mercator projection, designed in the 16th century for navigational purposes, remains widely used in educational, media, digital and official materials, despite the considerable distortion of landmasses to the North and South, far from the equator.
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