India's Jaishankar urges UN reform, says body gridlocked on major conflicts

India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called for United Nations reform on Monday, stating the global body has become "irrelevant" to decision-making on major issues like the conflicts in Ukraine and the Gulf. He made the remarks during an interactive session at the 5th Kautilya Economic Conclave in Delhi. Jaishankar attributed the UN's gridlock to the Security Council, which he said no longer represents the entirety of global interests. He noted the UN's membership has grown nearly fourfold from its original 51 members, yet its structure remains unchanged, and he criticized unnamed countries for blocking reform using Africa's interests as an argument. The minister argued the international community must "fix the UN, not to work around the UN," while also stating that the international financial and trade systems are broken due to unaddressed non-market practices that have distorted the global economy.