The Lift Line
“Wars by global superpowers in violation of the UN charter, nuclear threats and the imposition of unilateral and illegitimate sanctions have weakened the UN, which at 81 seems overweight, weak and unrepresentative of the world.”
Why This Editorial Matters for Your Exam
UN reform is a perennial GS2 theme. This editorial, written as the 81st General Assembly’s high-level week closes, brings together three examinable threads: the UN’s legitimacy crisis, the selection of the next Secretary-General, and India’s diplomacy, including its campaign for a Security Council seat in 2028-29 (for context, see the 22 September deep dive).
GS Paper 2: Important international institutions, their structure and mandate; India and its neighbourhood; effect of policies of developed countries on India’s interests.
| Concept | Meaning | Why it is testable |
|---|---|---|
| UN General Assembly (UNGA) | The plenary organ of all 193 members, one vote each | Its powers are recommendatory, except on budget and elections |
| President of the General Assembly (PGA) | Elected each year, rotating among regional groups | The 81st PGA is from Bangladesh |
| Secretary-General (SG) | The UN’s chief administrative officer (Article 97) | Appointed by the GA on the Security Council’s recommendation |
| Partnership for Multilateralism (P4M) | An EU-led initiative co-sponsored by India | Covered in the 22 September edition |
| Non-permanent seat | Ten elected members, two-year terms | India has served eight times and seeks a ninth |
Background and Context
The session. The high-level general debate of the 81st General Assembly began in the week of 22 September 2026. It is Antonio Guterres’s last session as Secretary-General: his second term ends on 31 December 2026. The editorial notes that Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, was elected President of the 81st session and will oversee the selection of the next Secretary-General.
What happened on the podium, per the editorial: the US President spoke of the possible “annihilation” of Iran, defended US actions in Venezuela and repeated his claim to have brokered peace in the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, which India rejects; Iran’s President called the US and Israel “murderers, terrorists and assassins”; the Russian President skipped the session; and the US denied visas to the Palestinian delegation.
India’s choices. Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not address the session, fresh from hosting the BRICS Summit in New Delhi; External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar led India’s engagement in New York.
The Analysis
1. A world at war. The editorial cites a study recording more than 65 conflicts in 35 countries in 2025, the most since 1946. The UN’s core purpose, the maintenance of international peace and security, is failing its test.
2. The powerful are the problem. Superpowers wage wars that violate the Charter, threaten the use of nuclear weapons and impose unilateral sanctions. A body built on their cooperation cannot function when they are at odds.
3. The leadership moment. A new Secretary-General will guide the UN for the next decade. That makes this, the editorial argues, the year for the world to unite behind a strengthened and reformed UN.
4. Good ideas drowned out. The P4M, which India co-sponsored, seeks a multilateralism beyond superpower hegemony, but it was lost in the rancour.
5. India’s absent voice. With a Council campaign under way, the editorial finds it surprising that the Prime Minister skipped the UNGA speech and the side summits. India’s voice, as a balancing power for a rules-based order, diplomacy and dialogue, is needed more than ever.
The precision that earns marks. The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council (Article 97). Because the recommendation is a Security Council decision, each permanent member can in effect veto a candidate. The five-year term is a convention, not a Charter provision.
Data and Institutions Vault
Prelims-grade facts:
The General Assembly:
- The UNGA has 193 member States, each with one vote (Article 18).
- Decisions on “important questions” need a two-thirds majority of members present and voting.
- The GA elects the ten non-permanent members of the Security Council for two-year terms.
The Secretary-General:
- Appointed by the GA on the Security Council’s recommendation (Article 97).
- Antonio Guterres (Portugal) has served since 1 January 2017; his term ends on 31 December 2026.
- The GA made the selection more transparent in 2015 (resolution 69/321), with public candidacies and dialogues.
India and the Council:
- India has been a non-permanent member eight times, the latest in 2021-22.
- India is a candidate for 2028-29.
Prelims, the traps:
- The PGA is elected for a one-year session; the SG has a five-year term by convention.
- Amending the Charter needs ratification by two-thirds of members, including all five permanent members (Article 108).
⚠️ Watch the trap: the Security Council’s recommendation of a Secretary-General is a substantive decision, so a permanent member’s negative vote blocks a candidate.
The Debate
For the editorial’s view. Presence matters in diplomacy. A country seeking a Council seat and claiming to speak for the Global South should use the world’s largest stage, especially in a year that will shape the UN’s next decade.
The complication. Many leaders skipped the session (the Indian Express, in a column the same day, lists the leaders of Germany, Italy, South Africa, Egypt, Russia and Indonesia among them), and India’s Foreign Minister engaged intensively on the sidelines, including signing the UN Convention against Cybercrime. Summit diplomacy, such as BRICS, may yield more than speeches.
The balanced verdict. India’s argument for reform is strongest when it is consistent: visible at the UN’s main forum, active in the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Council reform, and clear about the kind of Secretary-General it wants.
How to Think About This
Ask who can block, not just who can decide. In any institution, legitimacy falls when the people most able to block reform are the ones who benefit from the status quo. The UN’s permanent members hold a veto both over Council decisions and over Charter amendments, which is why reform stalls. The same lens explains the WTO’s paralysed Appellate Body and many domestic reforms.
Diagram-in-Words
Takeaway Box
- Occasion: the 81st UNGA, Antonio Guterres’s final session as Secretary-General.
- Diagnosis: record conflicts, great-power defiance of the Charter, a UN “overweight, weak and unrepresentative”.
- Key institution: the SG is appointed by the GA on the Security Council’s recommendation (Article 97).
- India: a Council bid for 2028-29, co-sponsor of the P4M; the PM skipped the speech.
- Way forward: reform, a transparent SG selection, and consistent Indian advocacy.
Sources: The Hindu, United Nations, The Indian Express
Source: Overweight and Weak: The UN at 81, a Rancorous General Assembly and the Choice of the Next Secretary-General — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Editorial Analysis
