New Delhi: External affairs minister Dr S. Jaishankar has highlighted the persistence of "double standards" in the world, where influential countries resist pressure for change, and those with historical influence have weaponised their capabilities. He made these remarks during a ministerial session titled 'South Rising: Partnerships, Institutions, and Ideas,' hosted by the Observer Research Foundation, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, United Nations India, and the Reliance Foundation. At another event, he described India's G20 Presidency as "challenging," given the sharp East-West polarisation and deep North-South divide.
"I think more than political will, there is political pressure for change. There is a growing sentiment in the world, and the global South embodies it. But there's also political resistance. Those occupying influential positions, notably in the UN Security Council, resist change. Those economically dominant today leverage their production capabilities, and those with institutional or historical influence have weaponised many of those capabilities. They may express the right sentiments, but the reality still reflects a world with double standards," Dr Jaishankar stated.
Speaking at another event titled 'India-UN for Global South: Delivering for Development' during the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, the external affairs minister reiterated the challenges faced during India's G20 Presidency due to East-West polarisation and North-South divisions.
"We meet just a few weeks after the New Delhi G20 Summit, which took place under the theme 'One Earth, One Family, One Future.' It was a challenging summit, a challenging presidency. We confronted a sharp East-West polarisation and a deep North-South divide. However, we were determined as the G20 presidency to ensure that this organisation, upon which the world had placed great hope, returned to its core agenda of global growth and development," he explained.
Dr Jaishankar emphasised that India, with a few months remaining in its G20 Presidency, will continue to be a partner, contributor, collaborator, and possibly an inspiration in addressing developmental challenges both during and after the presidency.
