Jaishankar Calls for Global Action Against Terrorism, Urges UN Reforms Amid World Conflicts

Jaishankar Warns Against Political Compromises on Terrorism, Seeks Stronger Global Cooperation

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday urged the international community to adopt a consistent and uncompromising approach towards terrorism, warning that the threat would persist as long as some governments allowed strategic interests to influence their response to terror-related activities.

Addressing the Chinmaya Amrit Mahotsav Global Sammelan on Non-Dualism for World Understanding in New Delhi, organised in connection with United Nations Day, Jaishankar argued that terrorism could never be defended as a legitimate instrument of state policy.

Without identifying any country, he criticised the selective application of international standards and called for coordinated action against terrorism in every form.

He said the global community needed to recognise the danger as a shared challenge rather than allow political considerations to weaken its collective response.

Despite the lessons of history, he observed, some countries continued to place calculations of national interest ahead of a firm commitment to combating terrorism.

The minister’s remarks come amid continuing debate over how India’s international partners respond to security concerns that New Delhi considers fundamental to its national interests.

During a discussion organised by the Asia Society in New York several weeks earlier, Jaishankar had stressed that terrorist attacks originating across India’s borders remained a major concern for the country.

He had argued that insufficient understanding of India’s security concerns could create difficulties in its relations with partner countries.

The comments came against the backdrop of closer engagement between Washington and Islamabad, although his remarks on Sunday did not name Pakistan or any other country.

India also reiterated its opposition to terrorism following a deadly attack on a church in Jordan’s Karak.

In a statement issued a day before Jaishankar’s address, the Ministry of External Affairs condemned the incident, which reportedly killed seven people and injured 34, describing it as a heinous and cowardly act.

New Delhi reaffirmed its commitment to international efforts to combat terrorism.

Wars impose costs far beyond the battlefield

Moving beyond terrorism, Jaishankar warned that ongoing conflicts were affecting countries and communities far removed from the fighting.

He identified the wars in Ukraine and West Asia as major sources of international uncertainty, with consequences extending to energy costs, food prices, trade and economic stability.

People who had neither initiated these conflicts nor possessed much influence over their course were nevertheless bearing a substantial share of the economic burden, he said.

The international community, he argued, could not afford to remain a passive observer while the consequences spread across borders.

India believes that diplomacy and sustained dialogue offer the most viable path towards ending these hostilities, Jaishankar said.

He added that New Delhi was making its own efforts to support peace and remained willing to cooperate with other countries seeking a negotiated resolution.

His appeal reflected India’s stated position that lasting settlements require political engagement rather than an indefinite continuation of military confrontation.

The minister called for greater international cooperation to create conditions in which dialogue could produce tangible results.

Unequal prosperity can deepen global instability

Jaishankar also linked international peace with economic opportunity, warning that an increasingly interconnected world could not remain stable if prosperity was concentrated in some regions while others were left behind.

Modern economies depend on cross-border supply networks, international markets and resources shared across countries, he noted.

Under these conditions, prolonged conflict and uneven development can generate wider economic and political instability.

The minister argued that economic progress and peace must be pursued together. Development that excludes large sections of the global population, he suggested, risks reinforcing the grievances and vulnerabilities that contribute to instability.

His remarks placed economic fairness alongside security and diplomacy as an essential component of a more stable international order.

Jaishankar presses for a more representative United Nations

The External Affairs Minister also renewed the case for reforming the United Nations, saying the limitations of the existing global governance system had become increasingly difficult to ignore.

He argued that international institutions established in a different geopolitical era must adapt to present-day realities.

Countries and populations representing significant parts of the world cannot continue to remain on the margins of major decisions affecting international peace and security.

The UN, he said, should play a more active leadership role in addressing international crises rather than merely observing developments without being able to overcome institutional deadlock.

Jaishankar pointed to the founding purpose of the United Nations, whose Charter envisaged the organisation as a centre for coordinating international efforts towards common objectives.

In his assessment, the inability of global institutions to respond effectively to major conflicts has exposed the urgency of reform.

He called for renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation and changes that would make international decision-making more inclusive and effective.

Reform, he indicated, was no longer simply a longstanding diplomatic demand but an increasingly pressing requirement.

The minister’s address brought together three connected challenges confronting the international community: terrorism, armed conflicts and weaknesses in global governance.

His central message was that these problems cannot be addressed through selective responses or outdated institutions, but require consistent international cooperation, diplomatic engagement and a more representative global order.