India has joined the European Union, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Kenya and Barbados in launching a new international platform aimed at strengthening multilateralism, upholding international law and pushing reforms in global institutions at a time of geopolitical tensions and conflicts.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar represented India at the inaugural summit of the Partners for Multilateralism, International Law, Peace and Prosperity (P4M), held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 21. The meeting brought together European Council President Antonio Costa, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Kenyan President William Ruto.
‘Global order under stress’
Jaishankar said India was glad to join the initiative as a co-sponsor at a time when the international order was “under stress”, arguing that geopolitical tensions, conflicts and intense competition had complicated an ongoing rebalancing of the global system.
“Reformed multilateralism is therefore essential. More participative deliberations and more transparent decision-making are both overdue,” Jaishankar said at the meeting. He said such reforms could restore greater optimism in the UN system and strengthen countries’ ability to work together.
The External Affairs Minister identified international security, climate justice, emerging technologies, development finance, resilient supply chains, pandemic preparedness and counter-terrorism as areas where greater international cooperation was required.
He also called for addressing the impact of conflicts on fuel, food, fertilisers and finance, while arguing for new frameworks and guardrails where emerging capabilities create fresh challenges. Jaishankar said diversification and de-risking should be encouraged where countries face the danger of chokepoints, dominance or disruption.
Not another exclusive bloc
The initiative had earlier been outlined by Costa, Carney, Ruto and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who argued for reforming the UN and other multilateral institutions to make them more representative, effective and trusted rather than creating another “exclusive bloc”.
At the inaugural meeting, Costa said the participation of countries from different continents and political traditions demonstrated continuing support for international cooperation despite growing global divisions. He called for greater emphasis on the peaceful settlement of disputes, tackling challenges ranging from climate finance to artificial intelligence, and reforming institutions such as the UN.
The partners said the multilateral system built around the UN Charter remained indispensable but required changes to make it more effective, representative, inclusive and capable of addressing contemporary challenges.
Coordination mechanism planned
The seven participants tasked senior officials with establishing a coordination channel and identifying priority areas in which the grouping could deliver concrete outcomes. Other countries have also been invited to join the initiative.
The joint declaration backed reforms aimed at strengthening institutions’ ability to prevent conflicts, respond to crises, support sustainable development, promote fair trade and protect the rule of law.
It also called for “fair, open, resilient, predictable and inclusive” economic cooperation, more diversified supply chains, reforms to the multilateral trading system and improvements to the international financial architecture. Cooperation on digital transformation, artificial intelligence and global health was also identified as a priority.
India has for years sought reforms of global institutions, particularly the UN Security Council, arguing that their composition should better reflect contemporary geopolitical and economic realities. Its decision to co-sponsor the P4M initiative adds another platform through which New Delhi can pursue its call for what it describes as “reformed multilateralism”.