‘The UN is in a state of crisis’ warns India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

By R Anil Kumar

• UN is gridlocked and needs reform, says Jaishankar at United Nations General Assembly

• The days when a few nations set the global agenda and “expected others to fall in line” are over, India’s Foreign Affairs Minister told the UN General Assembly

• ‘India can change the world for the better’ says S Jaishankar

• Strongly combating terrorism is a key priority for India, says S Jaishankar

New York, September 27, 2025. In his address to the General Assembly, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s Minister for External Affairs outlined the failings of a “gridlocked” UN, whilst asserting the need for more international cooperation and a reformed Organisation.

External Affairs Minister calls for the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership to the United Nations Security Council; India is ready to assume greater responsibilities, he adds

The United Nations is “gridlocked” and in dire need of reform, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, while delivering the government’s address to the 80^th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday (September 27, 2025).

During his speech, Mr. Jaishankar criticised Pakistan for being a hub of terror, highlighted some of the challenges faced by the world today, including tariff uncertainty, and said India was ready to take on greater responsibilities at the UN.

Combating terrorism is a key priority for India because it fuels extremism, violence, intolerance, and fear, he said and stated India is determined to protect its people and safeguard their interests at home and abroad.

Conflicts, a lack of resources and terrorism had left the UN “gridlocked”, according to the Minister. The diminishing ability of the UN to forge common ground was eroding the belief in multilateralism, he said.

“Central to the erosion of the UN’s credibility has been resistance to reform,” Mr. Jaishankar said.

He called for historical wrongs done to Africa at the global body to be redressed and for the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). India was ready to assume greater responsibilities, he said.

The Minister highlighted India’s role in UN peacekeeping, efforts in fighting piracy in the Arabian Sea and the promotion of digitisation as core activities of India’s foreign policy.

Mr. Jaishankar briefly presented a summary of the UN’s history and contemporary challenges, which included the conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, slow progress on the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and challenges with energy and food security.

He also pointed to tariff volatility and uncertain market access as current challenges.

“De-risking is a growing compulsion, whether from limited sources of supply or over-dependence on a particular market,” he said. Many countries, including India, have been navigating tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration of Donald Trump.

Without naming Pakistan, Mr. Jaishankar said India’s neighbour had become “an epicentre of terrorism”.

“The UN’s designated lists of terrorists are replete with its nationals,” he said.

India had exercised its right to defend its citizens against terrorism, in its response to the Pahalgam terror attacks of April 22, Mr. Jaishankar said. He called for the financing of terrorism to be choked and for relentless pressure on the terror ecosystem.

On Gaza and Ukraine, the Minister called on nations that could engage both sides to the conflict to step up and search for solutions. “India calls for an end to hostilities and will support any initiative that will help restore peace,” he said.

Atmanirbharata (self-reliance), Atma raksha (self-defence) and Atma vishwas (self-confidence) were the three concepts that guided India’s engagement with the contemporary world, the Minister said.

“Bharat will always maintain its freedom of choice and will always be a voice of the Global South,” he said, presumably referring to pressure on India to align with various blocs in the conduct of its foreign policy.

“How has the UN lived up to expectations,” asked Mr. Jaishankar, pointing to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as West Asia and “innumerable hotspots” which “don’t even make the news.”

The minister decried a perceived lack of global solidarity on a number of issues: he described the slow progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (which are way off track for completion by the 2030 deadline) as “a sorry picture,” condemned the “recirculated commitments and creative accounting” that, he said, pass for climate action, and accused wealthy countries of insulating themselves energy and food insecurity, whilst resource-stressed nations “scramble to survive only to hear sanctimonious lectures thereafter.”

Global economic concerns include “tariff volatility and uncertain market access,” argued the minister, technological control, supply chain and critical minerals, the protection of sea lanes and restrictions on the evolution of a global workplace.

These issues point to a need for more international cooperation, he suggested, whilst questioning the UN’s ability to solve them. Mr. Jaishankar declared the UN is “in a state of crisis,” and gridlocked, partly due to a resistance to reform even though most members want change. “It is imperative that we see through the cynicism and purposefully address the reform agenda,” he declared.

Terrorism is absolutely unacceptable

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that while striving for our rights, we must be prepared to strongly face the threats facing us.

He said, “Combating terrorism is a special priority because it fuels extremism, violence, intolerance, and fear. India has faced this challenge strongly since independence.

The Indian Foreign Minister said, “For decades, the roots of major international terrorist attacks have been traced to that one country. Its citizens are found on the terrorist lists set by the United Nations.”

He said the most recent example of cross-border brutality was the killing of innocent tourists in Pahalgam in April this year. “India exercised its right to protect its people against terrorism and brought its organizers and perpetrators to justice.”

He further said, “We are determined to protect our people and safeguard their interests at home and abroad. This means zero tolerance for terrorism, strong security of our borders, building partnerships across borders and supporting our communities abroad.”

Fighting this threat, he said, is an area where much deeper international cooperation is needed, and relentless pressure put on the whole terror ecosystem.

The UN needs comprehensive reforms

The Indian Foreign Minister said that the UN Charter calls not only for the prevention of war but also for the building of peace. The UN Charter also calls not only for the defence of what is right but also for the dignity of every individual.

The UN Charter challenges us to be good neighbours and to unite our strengths so that future generations inherit a world of justice, peace and long-lasting freedom.

He said that in the era of globalization, the scope of the UN agenda has become much broader. “Development goals have gained central place, and climate change has emerged as a common priority.”

1. Jaishankar said that trade has received greater priority. Access to food and health has been recognized as essential for global well-being.

He said that when it comes to security, the United Nations has promoted peacekeeping and advanced the discussion on disarmament. As a result, the United Nations has become a natural forum for discussing major global issues.

The Indian Foreign Minister questioned, “We have to ask ourselves today to what extent the United Nations has lived up to the expectations from it, and take a look at the state of the world.”

“There are two major wars going on right now – one in Ukraine and the other in the Middle East and West Asia. There are also a large number of conflicts and struggles elsewhere, but they don’t even make the news.”

He said, “The United Nations is currently in a state of crisis and in such a situation there is a need for more international cooperation and reforms in this world organization.”

India’s responsibility to contribute

S Jaishankar also mentioned over 600 development projects being carried out in partnership with India’s financial contribution in 78 countries of the Global South.

He said that India has also extended a helping hand to other countries in times of distress and need, be it financial assistance, food aid, fertilizer or fuel.

Citing some examples of such assistance, the Indian Foreign Minister said that India provided emergency assistance during the earthquake in Afghanistan in 2024, and also provided assistance during the recent earthquake in Myanmar.

Apart from these, India contributes its troops to peacekeeping, who serve as UN peacekeepers in areas ranging from the Golan Heights to Western Sahara and Somalia.

India’s ‘duty to contribute’

Mr. Jaishankar went on to portray India as a leader in the Global South, responsible for more than 600 development projects in 78 countries. The country, he said, steps forward to respond to the urgent needs of other countries, whether in terms of “finance, food, fertiliser of fuel.”

He gave the example of the emergency aid India provided after the 2024 Afghanistan earthquake, and the more recent earthquake in Myanmar, and the contribution that India makes to peacekeeping, providing troops as blue helmets in conflict hotspots from the Golan Heights to Western Sahara and Somalia.

He also said, “As the most populous country, a civilised nation and a rapidly growing major economy, we are confident in who we are and what we will be. India will always maintain its freedom of choice and will always be the voice of the global South.”

Everyone should have equal opportunities

The Indian Foreign Minister described the progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as slow, saying it presents a deplorable picture.

Regarding climate change, he said that if climate action itself is questioned then what hope remains for climate justice.

“Every member that can make this world a better place should have the opportunity to do their best, and to do that, reforming multilateralism is the only way,” he said.

“The ninth decade of the United Nations must be one of leadership and hope.”

‘Islands of prosperity cannot flourish in an ocean of turbulence’

The minister then lauded the economic achievements of his country, particularly over the last decade. He mentioned the Indian start-up ecosystem, rapidly growing infrastructure and commitment to harnessing artificial intelligence responsibly.

India’s approach, explained Mr. Jaishankar, can be summed up as self-reliance, strong security, and the self-confidence of a rapidly growing major economy.

He concluded with a call for the ninth decade of the UN to be one of leadership and hope. “International cooperation must prevail because islands of prosperity cannot flourish in an ocean of turbulence.”