UN must respond to contemporary realities and make decisions on key issues involving the whole world. This was stated by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, speaking at the general political discussion at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
"The UN started with 51 members, now we have 193. The world has changed profoundly and offers both problems and opportunities. To solve these problems and indeed to strengthen the order itself, it is important that the UN be the central platform for finding a common language. Surely it cannot remain an anachronism. Large parts of the world cannot be left behind when it comes to tackling the key issues of our time. An effective and efficient UN, more representative and fit for purpose in the modern age, is essential,” he said.
According to Jaishankar, the current UN General Assembly is being held “at a difficult time”. Among the most important difficulties, he pointed to the effects of the pandemic, conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, unfair trade practices and rising debt levels. “Technological progress, long a source of hope, is now also a source of anxiety. Climate events are occurring with greater intensity and frequency. Food security is as much of a concern as health care, the minister said.
As Jaishankar believes, “the world is fragmented, polarized and disillusioned”. “Peace and prosperity are equally at risk because trust has been undermined and processes have collapsed. States have gotten more out of the international system than they have put into it, weakening it in the process. We clearly see that with every challenge and every crisis reforming multilateralism is imperative, he said.
According to the head of the Indian foreign ministry “the problems arise from a combination of structural flaws, political calculations, sheer selfishness and disrespect for the left behind”. "Now the members of the UN must take this task seriously and purposefully, not because it is a struggle for influence or positions, but because if we continue in the same spirit, the situation in the world will only get worse," he concluded.< /p>