🗞️ Why in News External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addressed the General Debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on 26 September 2026. He warned that countries far from conflicts are paying for them, called out a “weaponisation of everything”, demanded protection for commercial shipping and seafarers, and answered Pakistan on terrorism. The same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Assembly that Russia supports India’s and Brazil’s candidatures for permanent seats on the UN Security Council.
What India Told the Assembly
| Theme | What the External Affairs Minister said |
|---|---|
| Conflict spillover | “The inability to maintain peace is not just undermining security but threatening progress and retarding development.” “Countries far from conflicts are being penalised for no fault of theirs. Those most impacted often have the least say.” |
| The Gulf and West Asia | Deep concern over continuing hostilities in the Gulf; a call for restraint, de-escalation, protection of civilians and the uninterrupted flow of energy and commerce; a two-State solution as the basis of lasting peace |
| Ukraine | As the war enters its fifth year, the focus must move from “an endless war” to ending the war; India backs peace initiatives and will help with the food and energy consequences |
| “Weaponisation of everything” | A “mindset of extreme competition” is undermining institutions and establishing chokepoints, from finance and market access to supply chains and technology; resources and connectivity have become instruments of leverage, so nations are de-risking and diversifying |
| The Global South | Its predicament is acute: crises of food, fuel, fertiliser and finance |
| Terrorism | State-sponsored, cross-border terrorism is “a direct affront to the global order”; no dilution of zero tolerance; terror financing must be exposed and countered; “it is for the perpetrator of terrorism to mend its ways” |
| Shipping and seafarers | Attacks on commercial shipping and crews “in the Gulf, and from the Red Sea to the Black Sea” are “simply unacceptable”; international law must be scrupulously observed |
| Artificial intelligence | Misuse of AI sharpens bias and erodes mutual respect, but AI can be “a transformational driver”; each nation has the right to develop its own models consistent with its goals |
| Development record | Digital public infrastructure in governance and delivery; India has supported 600 development projects in 78 countries |
| The world order | The world is moving to multipolarity; the order built in 1945 faces new realities, and adjustment “will not be easy” |
He closed with a line he attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: “There is no way to peace, peace is the way.”
The Exchange with Pakistan
On 25 September, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the Assembly that Pakistan had acted in self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter during last year’s conflict, thanked the United States for intervening, raised Jammu and Kashmir, and said that any attempt to stop or divert Pakistan’s share of the Indus waters “will be treated as an act of war”.
Without naming him, Jaishankar replied the next day: “Yesterday, a serial practitioner of terrorism misrepresented facts before this assembly. Arguments were invoked to normalise terrorism and claim immunity from its consequences. That will not stand.” He added that “friendship and goodwill cannot coexist with terrorism”, and that understandings premised on them “will naturally be called into question”.
India’s position, for the record. The entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India. India has held the Indus Waters Treaty (1960) in abeyance since April 2025, after the Pahalgam terror attack, until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably” abjures cross-border terrorism, and it does not recognise the Court of Arbitration that Pakistan invokes.
UN Security Council Reform: Who Backed India This Week
| Country | Statement in the General Debate |
|---|---|
| Russia (Sergey Lavrov, 26 September) | “We are in favour of broadening the representation of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We support Brazil’s and India’s candidatures for a permanent seat.” He opposed extra seats for Western states, naming Germany and Japan, and said reform must not weaken the authority of the current permanent members |
| Mauritius (Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful, 25 September) | “We support the positions of the G4 and of L69 on Council reform, and we reiterate our support for India’s candidature for a permanent seat, commensurate with its constructive role in global affairs.” Mauritius also wants new permanent members to have the same rights as the original five, and supports the Franco-Mexican initiative to suspend the veto in cases of mass atrocities |
Read the fine print. Russia’s support is for India and Brazil, not for the G4 as a bloc: Germany and Japan are India’s G4 partners. And Russia’s insistence that the permanent members’ authority must not be weakened is a defence of the veto, which many reform proposals seek to restrict.
The Negotiating Groups
| Group | Members and position |
|---|---|
| G4 | India, Brazil, Germany, Japan; formed in 2004; support each other’s bids for permanent seats and an expansion in both categories |
| L.69 | A cross-regional group of developing countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific; named after draft resolution A/61/L.69 (2007); India is a member; seeks expansion in both categories |
| Common African Position (C-10) | Based on the Ezulwini Consensus (2005): at least two permanent seats with the veto and additional non-permanent seats for Africa |
| Uniting for Consensus (UfC) | Includes Italy, Pakistan, Argentina, Mexico and the Republic of Korea; opposes new permanent members and favours more elected seats, including longer terms |
How the Charter Is Changed
- Talks happen in the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) in the General Assembly, which began in 2009 under General Assembly decision 62/557.
- Under Article 108, a Charter amendment must be adopted by two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly and ratified by two-thirds of UN members, including all five permanent members. Each P5 member can therefore block reform at ratification.
- The Council has been enlarged only once: an amendment adopted in 1963, in force from 1965, raised it from 11 to 15 members by increasing elected seats from six to ten.
- India has served eight two-year terms as a non-permanent member, the latest in 2021-22, and is a candidate for 2028-29 (see the 22 September report on the bid).
Seafarers and Shipping: The Stakes for India
India supplies a large share of the world’s merchant seafarers, and many serve on foreign-flagged ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb and the Black Sea. That is why the speech put shipping next to terrorism.
| India’s tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Group of Friends on the Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers | Launched by India and Liberia at the UN on 25 September 2026 (see the 26 September roundup) to build support against attacks on ships and crews |
| Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool (BMIP) | India’s first domestic maritime insurance pool, approved on 18 April 2026 and launched on 12 May 2026, with capacity of Rs 13,906.50 crore (USD 1.5 billion) and sovereign backing of Rs 12,980 crore (USD 1.4 billion). It covers Hull and Machinery, cargo against war perils in high-risk areas, and Protection and Indemnity (P&I). Claims up to USD 100 million are met from pool reserves; larger claims draw on the sovereign guarantee |
Why BMIP matters. Marine insurance is a legal and commercial necessity for shipping. About 90 per cent of the world’s large ships are insured against liabilities such as pollution, collision and crew injury by the 13 clubs of the International Group of P&I Clubs, mostly in the West, and India pays USD 45 to 60 million a year in P&I premiums abroad. War-risk cover can be withdrawn or repriced overnight when a conflict flares; a domestic pool keeps Indian ships and Indian cargo moving. The Indian-flag fleet stood at 1,609 ships and 14.33 million gross tonnes in mid-2026, according to a PIB backgrounder of 27 September.
The legal hinge. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982 gives all ships the right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation (Part III, Article 38), which coastal States may not suspend. The International Maritime Organization and the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 set standards for ship safety and seafarers’ rights.
Reading the Speech
1. Strategic autonomy, stated plainly. India criticised the costs of every war on the list (Gulf, Ukraine, Gaza) without taking sides, and paired it with an offer of help on food and energy. This is the posture of a country that trades with all sides and wants the lanes open.
2. “Weaponisation” is also a message to partners. Chokepoints in finance, market access, supply chains and technology describe sanctions, tariffs and export controls as much as blockades. The call to de-risk and diversify is India’s own economic strategy.
3. The Global South as a constituency. Naming food, fuel, fertiliser and finance, and citing development projects in 78 countries, positions India as a voice of countries that pay for crises they did not cause, the theme of its G20 presidency.
4. Terrorism stays non-negotiable. The reply to Pakistan restates the doctrine that dialogue cannot coexist with terror, and that any “understanding” built on goodwill is open to question when terrorism continues.
5. Reform needs arithmetic, not applause. Statements of support are valuable, but Article 108 requires two-thirds of the membership and every permanent member. China has not backed India’s permanent membership, and the United States, the United Kingdom and France have supported it in the past, which leaves the ratification step as the real test.
UPSC Relevance
GS Paper 2. Important international institutions, their structure and mandate (UNGA, UNSC reform); India and its neighbourhood; effect of policies and politics of other countries on India’s interests; the Indian diaspora. GS Paper 3. Security challenges (terrorism, maritime security); energy security.
A question worth preparing. “The weaponisation of trade, technology and connectivity has made strategic autonomy harder to practise and more necessary.” Discuss with reference to India’s statements at the UN General Assembly. (250 words)
The Mains framing. Define strategic autonomy and the “weaponisation” of interdependence (sanctions, tariffs, export controls, chokepoints like Hormuz). Show how it hurts the Global South (food, fuel, fertiliser, finance). Present India’s responses: diversification of energy sources, domestic capacity such as BMIP, coalitions such as the Group of Friends on seafarers, and UNSC reform to give the South a say. Conclude that autonomy now rests on resilience and coalitions rather than distance from every camp.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
Prelims, statement-ready facts:
- Jaishankar addressed the 81st UNGA General Debate on 26 September 2026; Pakistan’s PM spoke on 25 September.
- Russia (Lavrov, 26 September) backed India and Brazil for permanent UNSC seats; Mauritius backed India’s candidature and the G4 and L.69 positions.
- G4: India, Brazil, Germany, Japan (2004). Ezulwini Consensus (2005): Africa’s claim to two permanent seats with the veto.
- Charter amendment (Article 108): two-thirds of the General Assembly, then ratification by two-thirds of members including all P5.
- The only UNSC enlargement: 1963 amendment, in force 1965, 11 to 15 members.
- BMIP: launched 12 May 2026; USD 1.5 billion capacity; sovereign backing USD 1.4 billion; covers Hull and Machinery, war-risk cargo and P&I.
Prelims, the traps:
- Russia backed India and Brazil, not the G4 as a whole; it opposed seats for Germany and Japan.
- UNSC reform talks are in the General Assembly’s IGN, not in the Security Council.
- Transit passage (UNCLOS Article 38) cannot be suspended, unlike innocent passage in the territorial sea.
Mains, arguments and keywords:
- Conflict spillover onto bystanders; weaponisation of interdependence; de-risking; the 4F crisis; zero tolerance for terror; representative multilateralism.
- Keywords: chokepoints, strategic autonomy, P&I clubs, war-risk cover, IGN, Article 108.
Interview, be ready for:
- “Is a permanent seat realistic for India?” Support is broad but the P5 ratification lock remains; India should pursue reform while using coalitions and its elected-seat bid to shape outcomes now.
Sources: UN News, UN General Debate, India, UN General Debate, Russian Federation, Statement of Mauritius, The Indian Express, PIB
Source: India at UNGA 81: Jaishankar on Terrorism, the "Weaponisation of Everything", Seafarers and UN Reform — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
