1 hr ago
Jaishankar Says Gridlocked UN Needs Reform to Remain Relevant
S Jaishankar said the United Nations is not working well on some big world problems.
He pointed to conflicts in the Gulf and Ukraine, issues in Africa, and COVID.
He said the Security Council is stuck and does not represent everyone’s interests.
The UN began with 51 members and now has almost four times as many.
Jaishankar argued that its leadership structure should change to reflect that growth.
He said some countries or players are resisting reform, but did not name them.
He also said they are invoking Africa’s name to block change, while African countries have stated their own position.
Jaishankar said the world still needs the UN, so it should be fixed rather than bypassed.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said the United Nations is gridlocked and often irrelevant to major decisions.
He cited conflicts in the Gulf and Ukraine, issues in Africa, and COVID as examples.
Jaishankar said the Security Council no longer represents the entirety of global interests.
He noted the UN has grown from 51 members to nearly four times that number.
He urged reform, saying the goal should be to fix the UN rather than work around it.
- Who
- Foreign Minister S Jaishankar
- What
- He called for reform of the United Nations and its Security Council.
- Where
- At the Kautilya Economic Conclave; the article does not specify a location.
- When
- At the Kautilya Economic Conclave; the article does not specify a date.
- Why
- He said the UN is gridlocked and often ineffective, and that the Security Council no longer represents the entirety of global interests.
Reform advocates
Reform resistance
Changing the United Nations
Reform advocates
Jaishankar said the UN needs reform because it is gridlocked and its Security Council does not represent the entirety of global interests.
Reform resistance
Jaishankar said some players are resistant to reform and are using Africa's name to block it; he did not identify them or state their reasons.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Foreign Minister S Jaishankar
- Event
- Kautilya Economic Conclave
- UN membership at founding
- 51 members
- Membership growth
- The UN has grown to almost four times its original size, according to Jaishankar.
- Examples cited
- Conflicts in the Gulf and Ukraine, issues in Africa, and COVID
- Jaishankar's proposed approach
- Fix the UN rather than work around it.
Quotes
S. Jaishankar
India’s foreign minister
“So, I think we need to see whether, you know, we will continue to watch, in a sense, the irrelevance or the, I would say, ineffectiveness-is a better word-of the UN. And it is an important question because we need the UN. The UN has done a big service to the international community. Our job must be to fix the UN, not to work around the UN. But the UN itself has to help with that process”
NDTV
“Where the UN is concerned, I think it's obvious to everybody by now that the UN is gridlocked. That if you look at the big issues of the day, whether you look at the conflict in the Gulf, whether you look at the conflict in Ukraine, whether you look at other issues in Africa, whether you look at COVID, actually, the United Nations has been largely irrelevant to the decision-making”
NDTV
Sources
Related news
G4 Ministers Press Early Reform of Eight-Decade-Old UN Security Council
India Says Ongoing Conflicts Show Urgent Need for UNSC Reform
Guterres Urges Security Council Reform for Changed World
UN Backs Modi’s Push for Security Council Reform
Lula and Guterres Demand Security Council Reform Over Global Inaction
Erdogan Says UN Fails Peace, Demands Security Council Reform
Fire on Black Sea Ship Kills Two, Ukraine Blames Russia
Jaishankar Says India Can Meet Challenges in Turbulent Global Age
Zelenskyy Says Russian Drones Hit Turkish Corn Vessel
Two Killed as Drone Strike Sinks Turkish Grain Ship