India backs first UN multilateralism summit, Jaishankar seeks reform

India co-sponsored the first P4M summit at the UN, with S Jaishankar urging stronger multilateralism. He said strained global conditions demand fairer rules, transparent decisions and wider participation.Image used for representational purposes onlyIndia has co-sponsored the inaugural multilateralism summit at the United Nations, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar saying the meeting comes at a time when the global order is under stress and that more participative deliberations and transparent decision-making are overdue.Jaishankar on Monday co-chaired the first-ever 'Partners for Multilateralism, International Law, Peace & Prosperity (P4M)' Summit on the margins of the high-level 81st session of the UN General Assembly, along with leaders from Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada and Kenya. The summit brought together a broad group of countries amid growing concern over conflict, repeated violations of international law and strain on the multilateral system.In his remarks at the UN headquarters, Jaishankar said, 'India is glad to join as a co-sponsor. We meet at a time when the global order is under stress.' He said the world had for some decades witnessed a steady rebalancing that was a long-expected structural evolution. 'However, extreme competition, geopolitical tensions and actual conflicts have given this an entirely different character. If left unchecked, it would call into question the very spirit of international cooperation, and that is why it is so essential that multilateralism asserts itself strongly at this juncture,' he said.Jaishankar said that even as countries strive for broader peace, specific dimensions of ongoing conflicts could still be addressed. 'The 4F crisis of fuel, food, fertiliser and finance cannot be left to itself. When new capabilities and concerns arise, there is a very powerful case for frameworks and guardrails. Where there is a threat of chokepoint dominance and disruption, de-risking and diversifying must be encouraged.' He added, 'And where there is a compelling cause or a powerful case, the like-minded must have the confidence to come together.' He said multilateralism would be best served when international law, rules and norms are scrupulously observed. 'For multilateralism to forge ahead, its advocacy and its practice must both be strengthened. Reformed multilateralism is therefore essential. More participative deliberations and more transparent decision-making are both overdue.' Jaishankar said this would provide the hope and optimism clearly needed by the UN system and reinforce the resolve to work together. He cautioned that what is at stake includes peace and international security, climate action and climate justice, emerging technologies and development finance, countering terrorism, strengthening supply chains, ensuring disaster resilience and preparing for pandemics. He said all this depends on a will to cooperate. India also underlined that whatever 'we have achieved so far is only through collective efforts. The lesson here is to safeguard the good while striving for the better.'Jaishankar was joined by the summit's co-sponsors, including European Council President António Costa, Kenyan President William Ruto, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira also took part, as did Canadian Permanent Representative David Lametti, who read remarks on behalf of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Costa described the co-sponsors as a 'wide and diverse' representation of the international community from all continents. 'We are at a critical moment for the world. Conflict is spreading, international law, including the United Nations Charter, is being repeatedly violated, including by permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and the multilateral system is under stress,' he said. Ruto said the question of how nations restore trust in international cooperation when the institutions created to sustain it are themselves under growing strain can no longer be postponed. 'The crisis of multilateralism is not a crisis of cooperation. It is a crisis of rules and institutions that have not kept pace with the world they are expected to govern.' He said trust would return when multilateralism works more fairly, when its rules are applied consistently, when its institutions reflect the world they govern today and when cooperation produces results people can see. 'That is how we make multilateralism deliver, and that is how we ensure that the future is not written for some and imposed on others, but built together through partnership, fairness, and shared responsibility,' Ruto added.Albanese, who has announced Australia's candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2029-30, said global challenges cannot be solved by countries acting alone. 'When we look at the challenges confronting us: a land war in Europe, conflict in the Middle East, global inflation, the rise of new technologies, including artificial intelligence that present opportunities but also have very significant risks before us. To solve them, we must commit to the UN Charter, but we must also resolve to make the system work more effectively,' he said. Mottley said, 'It is vital that countries like ours have a voice. The post-independence movement in the post-World War II era was intended to give us opportunity and choices. Regrettably, those are being taken from us without our participation, without our input.'Vieira said the world is undergoing unprecedented changes and that climate change, new technologies and shifts in global production chains will shape the future. 'To address the challenges these changes will bring, we will need more dialogue and more multilateralism, not less,' he said. He added, 'Yet, there are those who seek to divide the world into spheres of influence in an attempt to halt the inevitable emergence of a multipolar order. In doing so, they attack multilateralism, international law and the UN Charter.' Lametti said effective multilateralism works in layers and that 'universal institutions uphold common principles, confer legitimacy, and ensure that countries large and small have a voice'.The inaugural summit was held as the 15-nation UN Security Council remains deeply divided and polarised, with sharp differences among its five permanent veto-wielding members — China, France, Russia, the UK and the US — and has failed to stop conflicts and fulfil its responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. Against that backdrop, India and other participants used the meeting to press for stronger, fairer and more effective multilateral cooperation.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 22, 2026 09:34 IST