Archive · 5 Oct 2026
Jaishankar Says Gridlocked UN Must Be Reformed, Not Bypassed
S Jaishankar said the United Nations is not working well enough on some big world problems.
He pointed to conflicts in the Gulf and Ukraine, issues in Africa, and COVID.
He also said the Security Council is stuck and does not represent everyone’s interests.
The UN started with 51 members and has grown to nearly four times that number.
Jaishankar argued that its leadership should change as the organisation has grown.
He said some unnamed players are resisting reform and invoking Africa.
He added that African countries have already shared their position in negotiations.
Jaishankar said the world still needs the UN.
He wants it fixed, not bypassed or abandoned.
At the Kautilya Economic Conclave, S Jaishankar again called for reform of the United Nations.
He said the UN has been largely irrelevant to decision-making on conflicts in the Gulf and Ukraine, issues in Africa, and COVID.
Jaishankar said the Security Council is gridlocked and no longer represents the entirety of global interests.
He noted the UN has grown from 51 members to nearly four times that number, while its management structure remains outdated.
He said unnamed players are resisting reform and invoking Africa, while African countries have presented their position in intergovernmental negotiations.
- Who
- S Jaishankar, India's External Affairs Minister.
- What
- He called for reform of the United Nations and its Security Council, saying the organisation should be fixed rather than bypassed.
- When
- At the Kautilya Economic Conclave; the articles do not give a date.
- Where
- The Kautilya Economic Conclave; the articles do not specify its location.
- Why
- Jaishankar said the UN is gridlocked and often ineffective in major decision-making, and that the Security Council no longer represents the entirety of global interests.
Reform advocates
Reform resistance
Reforming the UN
Reform advocates
Jaishankar argued that the UN and Security Council need reform because the organisation is gridlocked and its membership has grown substantially.
Reform resistance
Jaishankar said some unnamed players are resistant to UN reform and are using Africa's name to block it; the articles do not provide their reasons or response.
- Speaker
- S Jaishankar, India's External Affairs Minister
- Event
- Kautilya Economic Conclave
- UN membership at founding
- 51 members
- Membership growth
- Nearly four times its founding membership, according to Jaishankar
- Examples he cited
- Conflicts in the Gulf and Ukraine, issues in Africa, and COVID
- Reform resistance
- Jaishankar referred to unnamed players resisting reform and said they were invoking Africa's name.
- Jaishankar's proposed approach
- Fix the UN rather than work around or abandon it
