UN gridlocked, needs reform, says Jaishankar at General Assembly, Pg7

Key Highlights:

• EAM Jaishankar addressed the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, stating the UN is "gridlocked" and needs reform.
• He criticized Pakistan for being a hub of terror and highlighted global challenges like tariff uncertainty.
• Jaishankar emphasized India's readiness to take on greater responsibilities at the UN.
• He called for addressing historical wrongs to Africa and expanding the UN Security Council's membership.

Detailed Insights:

• The UN's diminishing ability to find common ground is eroding faith in multilateralism, with resistance to reform being central to the UN's credibility issues.
• India has been actively involved in UN peacekeeping, combating piracy in the Arabian Sea, and promoting digitization as key aspects of its foreign policy.
• Global challenges include conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, slow progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and issues with energy and food security.
• Atmanirbharata (self-reliance), atma raksha (self-defence), and atma vishwas (self-confidence) guide India's engagement with the world, maintaining its freedom of choice as a voice of the Global South.
• De-risking from limited supply sources or over-dependence on specific markets is a growing compulsion for many nations, including India, navigating tariffs.
• India has exercised its right to defend its citizens against terrorism, referencing the response to the Pahalgam terror attacks.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Multilateralism: A system of international relations that involves multiple nations pursuing common goals collectively.
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all".
• Global South: A term used to refer to countries with developing or less-developed economies, primarily located in the Southern Hemisphere.