Stories
UN is gridlocked and no longer represents global interests: S Jaishankar
- •External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that the United Nations has become gridlocked and ineffective in addressing major global conflicts like Ukraine and the Gulf.
- •Speaking at the 5th Kautilya Economic Conclave, he emphasized that the UN Security Council no longer represents the entirety of global interests.
- •Jaishankar pointed out that while the UN membership has grown nearly four times since its inception, the old management board remains unchanged.
- •He criticized a few countries for resisting UN reforms while unfairly using Africa's interests as an argument to block progress.
- •The external affairs minister stressed the need to fix the UN rather than work around it, while also noting that the international trade and financial systems are broken due to non-market practices.
Key Questions Answered
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that the UN has become gridlocked and largely irrelevant to decision-making on major global issues such as the conflicts in Ukraine and the Gulf, noting that its Security Council no longer represents the entirety of global interests.
Jaishankar argued that the UN started with 51 members and has since grown to nearly four times that number, making an old board of management unworkable. He noted that the Security Council is gridlocked because a few countries use Africa's name and interests to block reform, even though Africa has clearly laid out its positions.
Jaishankar expressed a widespread global feeling that the trade system is broken because it was built on market principles while substantial non-market practices have distorted the international economy. He emphasized that this underlying struggle between market norms and non-market realities sits at the heart of the issue.
