The debate on reforms in the UN Security Council has meandered aimlessly for three decades, he said

In a clear reference to both China and Pakistan, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar has stated that multilateral forums are being used to support and shield terrorists.

Speaking during a debate on "Maintenance of International Peace and Security: A New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism," at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday, he said that the knock-on effects of conflict situations have also underscored the necessity for a more broad-based global governance.

The debate was chaired by EAM Jaishankar as part of India's Presidency of the UNSC for the month of December 2022.

Highlighting recent concerns over food, fertilizer and fuel security, he said that these were not adequately articulated in the highest councils of decision making. The state of affairs was no better when it came to climate action and climate justice, he added.

"On the challenge of terrorism, even as the world is coming together with a more collective response, multilateral platforms are being misused to justify and protect perpetrators," EAM Jaishankar stated.

Each one of these examples made a strong case why it should not be business as usual in the multilateral domain, he pointed out.

According to EAM Jaishankar, the call for change has been accelerated by "growing stresses on international system" in recent years.

All of us are aware that the "Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council” has been on the UNGA agenda for well over three decades, he pointed out. "While the debate on reforms has meandered aimlessly, the real world meanwhile has changed dramatically," he stated.

EAM Jaishankar also said that the UN Secretary-General had a point when he urged "transforming this moment of crisis into a moment of multilateralism." But, he went on to say, this moment had to capture this sense of change and not be held captive by the past.

"After all, Our Common Agenda and the Summit of the Future will only deliver results, if they respond to the growing calls for reformed multilateralism. Reform is the need of the day. And I am confident that the Global South especially shares India’s determination to persevere," he added.

EAM Jaishankar also addressed a demand for NORMS, or a New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System, by saying, "While the matter concerns the fullest constituency of member states, the Security Council too has an important stake in the consideration of this crucial question."

"Because, at the end of the day, it has direct implications for maintaining international peace and security. And it is in the fitness of things that such a discussion takes place as an open debate," he added.

According to EAM Jaishankar, the mounting pressures placed on the international system in recent years have increased the call for change.