New Delhi: External affairs minister S Jaishankar held talks with visiting United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) president Annalena Baerbock on a range of issues, including AI’s implications and the West Asia conflict, on Tuesday.Jaishankar said in a post on X that he underscored during the discussion the need for reformed multilateralism that is reflective of today’s realities, particularly of the Global South, while thanking Baerbock for her leadership and contributions. Baerbock later said at a press conference that the world is witnessing growing geopolitical tensions, increasing fragmentation and pressure on the three UN pillars: peace and security, development and human rights. “Today, the United Nations, multilateralism and international law are not only under pressure, but under direct attack,” she said.“No country, regardless of its size or strength, can address today’s complex global challenges – such as climate change, global pandemics and the economic impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine or the closing of the Strait of Hormuz – on its own,” she said.Baerbock rejected US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace plan that envisages a permanent membership fee. “Because every country, no matter how big or small, how powerful or rich, has a seat at the table; because you will not find just peace for anybody in the world if you have to pay a fee to join it,” she said. Trump’s Board for Peace for Gaza has been projected as a possible rival to the UN.On need for UN reforms, she said that while the UN is indispensable, it has to reform itself to be more efficient, more agile and deliver better on the ground.
