Jaishankar at 80th UNGA: Urges UN Reform, Zero-Tolerance on Terror, Empathy for Global South

UN at a Crossroads

“Eight decades after its founding, the UN is failing to deliver on its own promises.”Addressing the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Jaishankar began with a “Namaskar from the people of Bharat,” reminding delegates that the UN Charter called not just for the prevention of war but for building peace and defending human dignity. He said that despite expanded membership and remit, the organisation is now gridlocked on its own promises.

Multiple Global Crises

“Ukraine, Middle East, hotspots beyond headlines — the global picture is grim.”Jaishankar cited the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, along with “innumerable hotspots” outside the headlines. He called the slow progress of the Sustainable Development Goals a “sorry picture” and accused major economies of “recirculated commitments and creative accounting” on climate change. He recalled how poorer nations faced discrimination in vaccine access and travel during the pandemic.

Economic Disruption and De-Risking

“Energy, food, tech and supply chains — first casualties of conflict.”Energy and food security, Jaishankar said, have been the “first casualties” since 2022. Non-market practices, tariff volatility and concentrated supply chains are forcing nations to “de-risk” their economies. He warned of heightened technology controls, control over critical minerals and threats to key sea lanes further complicating global trade.

Taking on Terrorism

“A neighbour remains the epicentre of global terrorism.”Without naming Pakistan, Jaishankar referred to “a neighbour that is an epicentre of global terrorism” and reminded the Assembly that major international terrorist attacks over decades have been traced back to that country. He cited the murder of tourists in Pahalgam in April as “cross-border barbarism” and said India exercised its right to bring perpetrators to justice.

Reforming the Security Council

“Historical injustice to Africa and Global South must end.”Jaishankar called the current Security Council structure a “historical injustice” to Africa and the Global South. Both permanent and non-permanent memberships should be expanded, he said, and India is ready to assume greater responsibilities. He highlighted India’s development partnerships in 78 countries, its humanitarian relief in 19 nations last year, and its continued role in UN peacekeeping from the Congo to South Sudan.

Bharat’s Guiding Principles

“Self-reliance, self-protection and self-confidence — Bharat’s foreign policy anchors.”Concluding, Jaishankar said Bharat’s foreign policy is guided by self-reliance, self-protection and self-confidence. “International cooperation must prevail because islands of prosperity cannot flourish in an ocean of turbulence,” he asserted, urging the UN to make its ninth decade one of leadership and hope. “Bharat will do its fair share, and more.”