India has warned the international community that global peace and prosperity are under threat, conversations are difficult and agreements even tougher, countries have extracted more from the international system than given to it, the world is frustrated and polarised, and reiterated that the only way out is urgently reforming multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations (UN).
Presenting India’s national statement at the high level segment of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday, external affairs minister S Jaishankar critiqued not just the western-led global order but also, indirectly, hit out at China as he outlined the costs of dependence on a single geography for global production, unviable debts, connectivity projects that violate sovereignty, and use of technology as a way to dominate instead of empower.
Instead, the minister presented, in stark contrast to these models, the Indian experience that he suggested was based on five pillars — of inclusive development of the vulnerable, expansion in employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for all especially women, offerings such as digital public infrastructure (DPI) and being a “people’s pharmacy” that can serve the world, of convening and articulating the voice of the global south, and of contributing to global goods.
The minister began his speech by painting for the UN the darkness that engulfs the world today. “The world is yet to recover from the ravages of the Covid pandemic. A war in Ukraine is well into its third year. The conflict in Gaza is acquiring wider ramifications. Across the Global South, development plans have gone off rails and SDG targets are receding…Technology advancements, which have long been a source of hope, are now equally a factor of anxiety. Climate events occur with greater intensity and frequency. Food security is as worrisome as health security. In truth, the world stands fractious, polarised and frustrated. Conversations have become difficult; agreements even more so.”
Jaishankar then turned this on to the UN itself, asking the international body to introspect about its own role, as he traced back the vision of global peace and prosperity that led to the founding of the UN almost eight decades ago. “Today, we find both peace and prosperity equally endangered. And that is because trust has eroded and processes have broken down. Countries have extracted more from the international system than they have put into it, enfeebling it in the process. Reforming multilateralism is, therefore, an imperative.”
He said that the UNGA’s vision not to leave any behind could not be realised by a UN that was “paralysed” when faced with “division, conflict, terrorism, and violence”, or when access to food, fuel, fertilisers were jeopardised, or when markets are captured without regard to livelihoods, or when the developed evade their climate responsibilities, or when resource crunch impeded meeting development goals.
“If the world is in such a state, this body must ask itself: how has this come to pass? The problems arise from a combination of structural shortcomings, political calculations, naked self-interest and yes, disregard for those left behind,” Jaishankar said. And while acknowledging the scale of challenges, he suggested that the change must start from somewhere and there was no place more apt than the UN itself. “Not because it is a competition for influence or squabble for positions. But because, if we carry on like this, the state of the world is only going to get worse.”
He then offered the example of India, outlining the government’s welfare initiatives, employment push, initiatives with regard to digital and accessible health care, and effort to bring forth the voice of the more marginalised with the global order to the forefront. In particular, Jaishankar focused on DPI at a time when the Indian government is making a conscious push to showcase it as a model that offers real benefits. “It is visible when public benefits, from nutritional support and housing to energy and health, are delivered efficiently and on a vast scale. Or when small business loans and farmers’ support are extended without using intermediaries…when street vendors and expat workforce confidently use fintech in their regular transactions. When services, delivery and benefits move seamlessly and transparently, less people will be left behind. That is India’s experience and India’s relevance.”
But while critiquing the existing western-led order, and showcasing India’s own model, Jaishankar’s speech also carried a strong geopolitical subtext. At the very beginning of his speech, while painting the global context, the minister referred to “unviable projects” that raise debt levels and connectivity projects that flout “sovereignty and territorial integrity” acquiring strategic connotations, especially when it is not a “shared endeavour”. Both these assertions appeared to be aimed at China that has come under global criticism for its debt trap diplomacy and that has pushed projects such as China Pakistan Economic Corridor that India has strongly objected to as violating its sovereignty.
Later in the speech, Jaishankar spoke about the perils of the current globalisation model where he chose to highlight the dangers of dependence on a single geography. “Over-concentration of production has hollowed out many economies, impacting their employment and social stability. Democratising global production, building resilient supply chains, ensuring trusted digital services, and espousing an open-source culture, all these promote widespread prosperity. There are economic answers, just as there are social ones.”
Deliberations at UN have been drowned by the intensified conflict in West Asia, on which the overwhelming mood in the UN is critical of Israel, as well as the Ukraine war that has divided the international body into a clear western bloc that opposes Russian invasion, a small set of countries that support Moscow, and a large segment of countries that seek peace and diplomacy and don’t seek to get entangled in great power conflict. India was among the pioneers of this third way when the war broke out in February 2022, and over the past three months, has adopted an unusually proactive diplomatic outreach with both Moscow and Kyiv.
Jaishankar did not offer specifics of this diplomatic effort but underlined the need not to be fatalistic about the conflicts. “We must also recognise that conflicts themselves must be resolved. The world cannot be fatalistic about the continuation of violence on a large scale, no more than be impervious to its broader consequences. Whether it is the war in Ukraine or the conflict in Gaza, the international community seeks urgent solutions. These sentiments must be acknowledged and acted upon.”
