'All is not well': S Jaishankar slams UN over inaction on terror, calls for urgent reforms

Speaking at an event in New Delhi marking the 80th anniversary of the UN, he said, “all is not well with the UN.”

He questioned its credibility on issues of peace, security, and terrorism.

“The UN’s decision-making neither reflects its membership nor addresses global priorities. Its debates are increasingly polarised and its working visibly gridlocked,” Jaishankar said.

He accused the UN of “lip service” on matters of global peace, particularly its failure to hold accountable those who shield terrorist organisations.

Referring to the recent Pahalgam terror attack, the minister said it was “deeply troubling” that a sitting member of the UN Security Council allegedly protected the very group that claimed responsibility for the assault.

“When a Security Council member openly shields the organisation that carried out a barbaric terror attack, what does it say about the credibility of multilateralism?” Jaishankar asked.

The minister reiterated India’s longstanding demand for UN reforms, including the expansion of the Security Council to make it more representative of today’s global order.

“The reform process itself is being used as an obstruction. The world cannot afford a 1945 institution in a 21st-century world,” he said.

Despite his criticism, Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s commitment to multilateral cooperation, saying the country would continue to support efforts that make the UN more effective and accountable.

His remarks come amid growing calls from India and other Global South nations for the UN to adopt structural reforms that give emerging economies greater voice and representation in global governance.

India has for years advocated reform of the UN Security Council, arguing that the body’s current structure, dominated by the five permanent members, does not represent contemporary geopolitical realities.

New Delhi has also repeatedly voiced frustration over the UN’s slow and inconsistent approach to global terrorism, especially when certain states are accused of shielding terror groups.