External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said the world is moving towards a multipolar order and called for reforms to the multilateral system, arguing that large sections of humanity cannot remain excluded from global decision-making.

Addressing the high-level General Debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday, Jaishankar said the post-1945 global order was giving way to new realities.

He acknowledged that the transition would involve difficult processes of adjustment, accommodation and acceptance. According to him, much of the turbulence witnessed across the world is rooted in these unresolved changes.

Jaishankar said the movement of an intrinsically diverse world towards a more democratic future could not be stopped.

He maintained that peace in a pluralistic international order required civil conversations, broad-based consultations and transparent decision-making.

“Large sections of humanity cannot be excluded from that process,” he said, adding that the case for reformed multilateralism was becoming stronger with each passing day.

The minister also warned that the global system was witnessing the “weaponisation of everything”. Finance, market access, supply chains, technology, resources and connectivity were increasingly being used as instruments of leverage.

He said a mindset of extreme competition had taken hold, weakening institutions and creating new choke points in the global system.

The pressure extended from restrictions on finance and market access to disruptions in supply chains and the withholding of technology. Resources and connectivity, he added, had also become particularly vulnerable to strategic leverage.

As a result, countries were focusing increasingly on de-risking and diversification to protect their national interests. While these measures could provide varying degrees of security, Jaishankar said they had damaged the broader atmosphere of trust and goodwill among nations.

The minister stressed that conflicts and confrontations remained among the international community’s primary concerns. The inability to maintain peace was not only undermining security but also threatening progress and slowing development.

In a globalised world, he said, the consequences of war were being felt far beyond the battlefield, with countries distant from conflicts paying a heavy price despite having no role in them. Those most affected often had the least influence over global decision-making.

Jaishankar also highlighted India’s contribution to inclusive growth and global development. He said India’s economic and social progress had advanced the prospects of one-sixth of humanity.

He referred to improvements in health, nutrition and education, along with the expansion of basic infrastructure. The delivery of drinking water, electricity, roads and housing, he said, not only improved living standards in India but also contributed to better global Sustainable Development Goal outcomes.

Jaishankar’s remarks formed part of India’s broader call for a more inclusive, participatory and transparent international system. India has consistently argued that global institutions must reflect contemporary political and economic realities, rather than continuing to mirror the power structure of the post-Second World War era.

He said the United Nations and other multilateral institutions needed to respond to the concerns of a more diverse and interconnected world, where countries outside the traditional centres of power were demanding a greater voice in decisions affecting international peace, security and development.

ANI