India, EU & Canada unite to defend multilateralism; express concern over power politics

S Jaishankar At P4M Summit

India joined EU, Canada, Australia and several other countries in co-sponsoring a declaration expressing a joint commitment to multilateralism, international law, peace and prosperity, while expressing concern over escalating conflicts, trade disruption, power politics protectionism and coercion.The declaration followed the announcement of a new initiative titled Partners for Multilateralism (P4M) on the margins of UN General Assembly that aims to make multilateral bodies more “representative, effective, legitimate and trusted” through middle-power cooperation, amid growing fragmentation and violations of international law.Drawing attention to geopolitical tensions, conflicts and extreme competition, foreign minister S Jaishankar said multilateralism will be best served when international law, rules, and norms are scrupulously observed.

He also emphasised de-risking and diversifying to mitigate the threat from choke points dominance and disruption.Other declaration co-sponsors included Brazil, Barbados and Kenya, making P4M a diverse group of countries that bridges — unlike G7 and Brics — the gap between the West and Global South. After the co-sponsors, 16 other countries signed off on the declaration that flagged increasing use of economic interdependence as a source of leverage, disrupting trade, supply chains, investment and development finance in messages directed at both US and China.

The declaration stressed reform of multilateral institutions, including UN, to promote fair trade, prevent conflicts and protect rule of law, while backing fair, resilient, predictable and inclusive economic cooperation. The declaration said the multilateral system founded on UN Charter remained indispensable as it had helped provide a framework for peace, decolonisation, prosperity and human dignity.

However, the declaration also said that it must now respond to a world that is more interconnected and complex, more contested and more multipolar.As he underlined the need for multilateralism to assert itself strongly in these times, Jaishankar also pointed to the issue of terrorism. “The future of international security, of climate action and climate justice, of emerging technologies and development finance, of countering terrorism and st­rengthening supply ch­ain, and of ensuring disaster resilience and preparing for pandemics, all depend on a will to cooperate.