India's Jaishankar: UN 'Largely Irrelevant' on Gulf, Ukraine, Africa, Covid

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called the United Nations "largely irrelevant" to decision-making on major global crises, citing a "gridlocked" Security Council and its outdated composition as the primary causes. Speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi, Jaishankar said the UN failed to play a meaningful role in addressing conflicts in the Gulf and Ukraine, crises in Africa, and the Covid-19 pandemic. He argued the Security Council's inability to reach decisions stems from its composition, noting the UN has grown from 51 to nearly four times that many members while retaining its original structure. Jaishankar stressed the solution is not to bypass the UN but to "fix the UN," adding that Africa has already presented a clear reform position. India has pushed for Security Council expansion through the G4 grouping and the L.69 group of developing countries.