PM Modi on UN’s relevance: ‘Failed to evolve with time, and this inability to adapt has…’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has remarked that the United Nations ‘failed to evolve with the times’, and therefore the ‘inability to adapt’ of the international organisation ‘as sparked a global debate on their relevance.’ During the podcast with AI researcher Lex Fridman, while answering a question on maintaining ‘balance’ when negotiating on the world stage with ‘super-powerful nations’.

During the interaction with Lex Fridman had asked PM Modi, “When negotiating on the world stage with super-powerful nations, is it better to be loved or feared?”

To this PM Modi talked about the time he was declared the prime ministerial candidate by Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) before the Lok Sabha Elections 2014.

“My critics often tried to corner me on one point. It became a topic of widespread discussion, Modi is nothing more than a state leader. What does he know of foreign policy? Does he even understand global geopolitics? This was on everyone’s lips, and I was asked this question in every interview.” PM Modi recalled.

The Prime Minister went on to explain that he would provide a “well-thought-out answer”. He said, “I won’t lay out my entire foreign policy in an interview, nor is it needed.” That said, India will neither allow itself to be looked down upon, nor will it ever look up to anyone. India will now see eye-to-eye with her counterparts. This was my belief in 2013, and it still lies at the heart of my foreign policy.

As the conversation with Lex Fridman progressed, PM Modi also recalled G20 Summit that India hosted in September 2023. PM Modi said that India had perpetrated the idea of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ through the summit, and continues to believe in the same.

“I have advocated for embracing renewable energy. We founded the International Solar Alliance with the motto, One Sun, One World, One Grid. Even when it comes to global healthcare, I had proposed One Earth, One Health. This initiative extends not only to humans, but also to all flora and fauna. I have always aimed to initiate efforts that foster global well-being, and the global community needs to join hands to accomplish that.” PM Modi said.

“We must also understand that the world has become one small village today. No country can thrive in isolation”, PM Modi added.

Harping on the need to ‘synchronize’ in order to propel the idea of ‘One Earth, One Family’, PM Modi hit out at United Nations and its relevance.

“Organizations like the United Nations came into being after the First World War, but they failed to evolve with the times, and this inability to adapt has sparked a global debate on their relevance”, PM Modi said.