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

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.

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.