External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday called for reforms in the United Nations, saying the global body has become “largely irrelevant” to decision-making on several major international issues. Speaking during an interactive session at the 5th Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi, Jaishankar cited conflicts in the Gulf and Ukraine, crises in Africa and the Covid-19 pandemic while questioning the effectiveness of the existing multilateral system. His remarks came in response to a question on the future of the United Nations and other international institutions.

“Where the UN is concerned, I think it’s obvious to everybody by now that the UN is gridlocked,” Jaishankar said. He argued that the organisation’s inability to play a decisive role on major global crises has become increasingly apparent. According to the minister, the problem is closely linked to the functioning of the UN Security Council, which he said no longer represents the entirety of global interests. His comments underline India’s long-standing position that the structure of the United Nations needs to reflect changes in the international system and the expansion of its membership.

Jaishankar also pointed to the changing composition of the United Nations since its establishment. He noted that the organisation began with 51 members and now has nearly four times as many, arguing that its decision-making structure has not evolved at the same pace. “So, if you have grown four times, and you want to keep the old board of management, it’s not going to work,” he said at the conclave. The minister has previously criticised what he described as the gap between the UN’s current membership and the composition of its key decision-making institutions.

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The external affairs minister said some countries continue to resist reform, with arguments being made in the name of protecting African interests. Without naming specific countries, he said a few members were using Africa’s interests as a reason to oppose changes to the UN. Jaishankar said African nations themselves had articulated their position through intergovernmental negotiations, suggesting that their interests should not be invoked to block wider institutional reform. The issue of greater representation for developing countries, including from Africa, remains part of broader discussions over changes to the Security Council.

Despite his criticism, Jaishankar argued that the answer was not to bypass the United Nations. He said the international community needs the organisation and should instead work towards making it more effective. “Our job must be to fix the UN, not to work around the UN,” he said, adding that the UN itself would have to contribute to the process. He also acknowledged the contribution the organisation has made to the international community, framing reform as an effort to strengthen multilateral cooperation rather than abandon it.

Jaishankar’s comments come amid continuing debate over the role of multilateral institutions in responding to conflicts and global challenges. India has consistently advocated reforms to the UN Security Council, including a broader representation of developing countries. The minister had also addressed the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York last month, continuing India’s diplomatic focus on reforming global institutions. At the Kautilya Economic Conclave, his remarks placed the question of UN reform within a wider discussion about how international institutions can remain effective in a changing and increasingly multipolar world.

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