India has called for urgent reforms of the international decision-making structures, especially the UN Security Council, to give the Global South its due representation. Speaking at the Foreign Ministers’ meeting of the G20 in New York yesterday, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said that the United Nations is a prisoner of the past and it must evolve with the world.

He said, As a result, the UN Security Council struggles to fulfil its mandate of maintaining international peace and stability, undermining its effectiveness and credibility. He stressed that the Global South must be given their legitimate voice. He emphasised the urgent need to reform the UN to ensure it is representative, credible, and effective. Dr. Jaishankar said the reforms should include the expansion of both permanent and elected seats on the Security Council.

The ministers of the G20, the group of major developed and emerging countries, met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting. In a speech that dealt at length with the international financial and development organisations, Dr. Jaishankar said that it was imperative to bring in reforms to make the international financial architecture more robust, expansive, and effective.

During its presidency of the G20, India set up a panel of international economic experts to recommend reforms to the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and their suggestions were adopted by the G20. Dr. Jaishankar also stressed the need for reform of the Multilateral Trading System. He said India remains unwavering in its commitment to a rules-based, non-discriminatory, fair, open, inclusive, equitable, and transparent multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organisation at its core.