External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar delivered a strong message against terrorism during the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting on Thursday, demanding that the international community adopt zero tolerance towards terrorist activities while calling for urgent reforms to multilateral institutions.
Speaking to fellow foreign ministers in New York, Jaishankar characterized terrorism as a persistent and dangerous disruptor of global peace and development that requires unwavering opposition from the world community.
"A persistent threat to development is that perennial disruptor of peace, terrorism. It is imperative that the world display neither tolerance nor accommodation to terrorist activities. Given the extensive networking among terrorists, those who act against them on any front actually render a larger service to the international community as a whole," the minister stated during his address.
The foreign minister pointed out that the world today is wrestling with multiple crises, including ongoing conflicts, economic pressures, and terrorist threats. He expressed particular concern about the effectiveness of current multilateral institutions, singling out the United Nations for failing to adequately respond to contemporary challenges.
Jaishankar emphasized that "the need for reforming multilateralism has never been greater," advocating for structural changes that would create more representative, responsive, and effective global governance systems.
The minister highlighted the G20's critical role in addressing global instability, noting the group's special responsibility in the current volatile international environment.
"We, as members of G20, have a particular responsibility to strengthen its stability and give it a more positive direction that is best done by undertaking dialogue and diplomacy, by firmly combating terrorism, and by appreciating the need for stronger energy and economic security," he explained.
Central to Jaishankar's remarks was his analysis of how international peace and global development have deteriorated simultaneously, with particularly severe consequences for the Global South. He pointed to ongoing conflicts including the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas conflict as examples of geopolitical tensions that directly undermine global energy, food, and fertilizer security.
"Apart from jeopardising supplies and logistics, access and cost themselves became pressure points on nations," Jaishankar observed, describing how these conflicts have created additional hardships for developing nations.
The minister criticized what he characterized as double standards in international responses while advocating for diplomatic solutions over actions that might escalate existing tensions.
"Peace can certainly enable development, but by threatening development, we cannot facilitate peace. Making energy and other essentials more uncertain in an economically fragile situation helps no one. The way out is to move the needle towards dialogue and diplomacy, not in the opposite direction towards further complications," he argued.
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