Key Details
The 21 September 2026 summit, held during the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week, launched P4M and established a shared agenda for continued cooperation.
Initial co-sponsors: Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, India and Kenya. Fifteen other countries are listed as signatories to the declaration.
Shared commitments: Uphold international law and strengthen multilateral institutions, particularly the UN.
Areas for cooperation: Supply chains, trade and international finance, alongside AI, climate change and global health.
Next step: Regular exchanges open to partners from all regions.
Countries Agree on a Broad Agenda for Cooperation
The P4M joint declaration responds to rising conflict, pressure on international law and the use of trade and economic dependence as leverage. Participants affirmed the UN Charter and called for global institutions to become more effective, representative and inclusive.
They also identified areas where cooperation has a practical economic dimension: more resilient supply chains, reform of trade and international finance, and coordination on emerging technologies. The declaration commits participants to regular dialogue and joint work; it does not create a treaty or a new UN institution.
India Stresses Representation and Immediate Pressures
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called for more participative deliberations and transparent decisions in multilateral institutions. He urged action on the “4F crisis” of fuel, food, fertiliser and finance, as well as safeguards for emerging capabilities and diversification where supply routes are vulnerable to disruption. These were India’s priorities in the summit discussion, rather than separate decisions announced by P4M.
What Is P4M?
Partners for Multilateralism, International Law, Peace and Prosperity (P4M) is a new initiative launched at the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week on 21 September 2026. Its initial co-sponsors are Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, India and Kenya. It brings countries together to defend international law, reform multilateral institutions and cooperate on shared economic and security challenges. The participants issued a joint declaration and committed to regular exchanges; P4M is not a new UN body or a treaty.
Policy Relevance
P4M gives India another forum in which to pursue more inclusive global governance alongside cooperation on economic and security concerns. Its usefulness will depend on what the planned exchanges produce—such as common positions or coordinated work on a specific issue—rather than on the breadth of the founding declaration alone.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Which P4M priority could its participants advance together first, and what would demonstrate progress beyond continued dialogue?
Follow the Summit Declaration and India’s Remarks Here: P4M Joint Declaration | External Affairs Minister’s Remarks