Did Jaishankar take a dig at Donald Trump for ‘starving’ United Nations? Watch
At the High-Level Meeting in New York, EAM Dr S Jaishankar highlighted the challenges facing the Global South, exacerbated by multilateralism's decline and funding cuts, resulting in humanitarian crises and weakened international organizations.
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the challenges faced by the Global South and international organisations at the High-Level Meeting of Like-Minded Global South Countries in New York, delivering remarks that some observers interpret as a subtle critique of US funding cuts to the United Nations.
What did Jaishankar say about multilateralism?
Dr Jaishankar cautioned that international cooperation is under strain amid escalating global risks. “In the face of such proliferation of concerns and multiplicity of risks, it is natural that the Global South would turn to multilateralism for solutions. Unfortunately, there too, we are presented with a very disappointing prospect. The very concept of multilateralism is under attack. International organisations are being rendered ineffective or starved of resources. The building blocks of the contemporary order are starting to come apart, and the cause of delaying much-needed reforms is today starkly visible,” he said.
What global challenges did Jaishankar highlight?
EAM Jaishankar described a series of crises confronting the Global South in the early 2020s. “We meet in increasingly uncertain times when the state of the world is a cause for mounting concern for member states. The Global South, in particular, is confronted with a set of challenges which have heightened in the first half of this decade. They include the shocks of the COVID pandemic, two major conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, extreme climate events, volatility in trade, uncertainty in investment flows and interest rates, and the catastrophic slowing down of the SDG agenda. Most of all, the rights and expectations of developing countries in the international system, which has been so assiduously developed over many, many decades are today under challenge,” Dr Jaishankar added.
Is this a dig at Donald Trump?
Observers note that Dr Jaishankar’s references to under-resourced multilateral institutions coincided with the Donald Trump administration’s withdrawal of nearly $1 billion in UN contributions and plans to cut another $1 billion.
These decisions have led to severe consequences, including a 15 percent reduction in the UN’s 2026 budget, forcing at least 20 percent of staff cuts and reductions across peacekeeping, humanitarian, and health agencies.
How have funding cuts impacted the UN?
Humanitarian programmes in regions such as Northern Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan face critical shortages, with reports of malnourished children dying as essential therapeutic food deliveries stall. Agencies such as Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children have warned that these shortages could destabilise already vulnerable regions further.
Additionally, the UN Human Rights Council has been weakened, with member states attempting to curtail investigations into abuses and war crimes. These efforts have been exacerbated by the US withdrawal from the Council and funding cuts.