India joined the EU, Canada, Australia and several other countries in co-sponsoring a declaration expressing a joint commitment to multilateralism, international law, peace and prosperity, while expressing concern over escalating conflicts, trade disruption, power politics protectionism and coercion.The declaration followed the announcement of a new initiative titled Partners for Multilateralism (P4M) on the margins of the UN General Assembly that aims to make multilateral bodies more “representative, effective, legitimate and trusted” through middle-power cooperation, amid growing fragmentation and violations of international law.Drawing attention to geopolitical tensions, conflicts and extreme competition, foreign minister S Jaishankar said multilateralism will be best served when international law, rules, and norms are scrupulously observed.Other declaration co-sponsors included Brazil, Barbados and Kenya, making P4M a diverse group of countries that bridges – unlike the G7 and BRICS – the gap between the West and Global South. After the co-sponsors, 16 other countries signed off on the declaration that flagged increasing use of economic interdependence as a source of leverage, disrupting trade, supply chains, investment and development finance in messages directed at both US and China.The declaration stressed reform of multilateral institutions, including the UN, to promote fair trade, prevent conflicts and protect rule of law, while backing fair, open, resilient, predictable and inclusive economic cooperation, including more diversified and resilient global supply chains.The declaration said that the multilateral system founded on the UN Charter remained indispensable, as it had helped provide a framework for peace, decolonisation, prosperity, and human dignity. However, the declaration also said that it must now respond to a world that is more interconnected and complex, more contested and more multipolar.“We affirm the need to uphold and enforce the rules, principles and commitments that remain essential to international order, while renewing and reforming the multilateral system so that it is more effective, representative, inclusive and fit for purpose,” said the declaration, while stressing the joint commitment to sovereign equality, territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes and prohibition of the threat or use of force.The inaugural meeting was co-hosted by European Council President Antonio Costa who said that the P4M will serve as a global network for dialogue, coalition-building and practical cooperation, helping us coordinate our response to shared challenges, with the UN at its core.As he underlined the need for multilateralism to assert itself strongly in these times, Jaishankar also pointed to the issue of terrorism. “The future of peace and international security, of climate action and climate justice, of emerging technologies and development finance ,of countering terrorism and strengthening supply chain, and of ensuring disaster resilience and preparing for pandemics, all depend on a will to cooperate,” he said.
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The minister also flagged the 4F crises of fuel, food, fertilizer and finance cannot be left to itself, saying where new capabilities and concerns arise, there is a very powerful case for frameworks and guardrails.“Where there is a threat of chokepoints dominance and disruption, de-risking and diversifying must be encouraged. And where there is a compelling cause or a powerful case, the like-minded must have the confidence to come together,” said Jaishankar, stressing the need for reformed multilateralism.
