Key Details
The statement brought India’s positions on current conflicts, economic security and multilateral reform together in one address.
Gulf conflict: India called for restraint, civilian protection and uninterrupted flows of energy and commerce.
Shipping: Jaishankar condemned attacks on commercial vessels and seafarers in the Gulf and across routes extending from the Red Sea to the Black Sea. He said India had joined Liberia and other partners in an initiative to build international opposition to such attacks.
Other conflicts: India supported efforts to end the war in Ukraine and reiterated that lasting peace in the Middle East requires a two-state solution.
Global South: Jaishankar described a “4F crisis” involving food, fuel, fertiliser and finance.
Terrorism: India called for accountability for state-sponsored, cross-border terrorism, including action against its financing.
The Gulf Conflict Has Put Maritime and Energy Security at the Forefront
Jaishankar argued that countries far from a conflict can still bear its costs through disrupted shipping, food supplies and energy markets. He singled out attacks on commercial vessels and seafarers as unacceptable, noting that Indian seafarers had been among those killed.
India’s immediate requests were de-escalation, safe passage and continuity of trade and energy flows. Its maritime initiative with Liberia and other partners was presented as a way to rally opposition to attacks on shipping, not as a newly agreed protection mechanism.
India Connects Economic Pressure to Global-South Representation
The statement described a world in which market access, supply chains, finance, resources and technology are increasingly used as instruments of pressure. Jaishankar said these pressures compound the Global South’s food, fuel, fertiliser and finance difficulties and threaten development progress.
His response was both practical and institutional: countries need more reliable access to essential supplies, while international decision-making must give greater weight to those affected by crises. India again made the case for reformed multilateralism in a more multipolar world; the speech did not set out a new UN reform proposal.
Development Partnerships and AI Form Part of India’s Offer
Jaishankar cited 600 major Indian development projects in 78 countries as evidence of India’s partnership with the Global South. He also highlighted climate initiatives, capacity-building and India’s contributions to UN peacekeeping.
On artificial intelligence, India supported countries’ ability to develop models and uses suited to their own priorities, and said AI would form part of its Global-South partnerships. This was a statement of direction, not an announcement of a new programme or funding commitment.
Policy Relevance
The speech places economic security alongside diplomatic security. For India, the protection of seafarers and trade routes is an immediate concern; reliable energy, food and fertiliser flows are the wider concern when conflicts disrupt international markets.
It also sets out a test for India’s Global-South diplomacy. The case for a more representative international order gains force when partners can see practical cooperation on supply resilience, development and technology. The statement identifies those priorities, while leaving their next steps to subsequent negotiations and programmes.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Which forms of maritime cooperation could better protect seafarers and keep essential trade moving during conflicts without drawing commercial shipping into hostilities?
Follow the Full Statement Here: India’s National Statement at the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly