UN like ‘old company’, not keeping up but occupying space: Jaishankar

External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday likened the United Nations to an “old company” which is not keeping up with the market while still occupying the space.
Speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave in Delhi, Jaishankar underlined the organisation’s declining relevance in addressing pressing global issues in recent years, including Ukraine and Middle East conflicts.
“The United Nations is like an old company, not entirely keeping up with the market, but occupying the space,” Jaishankar said during his address.
“What you have today is, yes, there is a UN. At the end of the day, however suboptimal it is in functioning, it is still the only multilateral game in town. But when it doesn’t step up on key issues, countries figure out their own ways of doing it,” he added.
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He pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and the escalation in the Middle East as examples of crises where the UN has remained largely ineffective.
The minister questioned the role the UN played during one of the most significant global health emergencies. “Think about what the UN did on Covid. I think the answer is not very much,” he said.
Jaishankar noted that countries either acted independently or formed their own coalitions, such as the COVAX initiative, which was spearheaded by a group of nations outside the UN framework.
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He also voiced concerns about the UN’s inability to address ongoing conflicts, specifically in Ukraine and the Middle East. “Where is the UN on them, essentially a bystander?” Jaishankar said.
India has long advocated for reforms in multilateral institutions, including an expansion of the UN Security Council to better reflect contemporary global realities.
Jaishankar asserted, “I think today the UN will continue, but increasingly there’s a non-UN space, which is the active space.”