EAM Jaishankar Meets UN Chief, Urges Action to Shield Global South From Conflicts

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Tuesday, with discussions focused on ongoing conflicts and ways to reduce their impact, particularly on the Global South.

The meeting came a day after Jaishankar warned that disruptions across food, fertiliser, energy and financial markets were placing developing countries under mounting pressure.

“Our discussions focused on ongoing conflicts and the need to mitigate their impact, especially on the Global South,” he wrote on X after meeting Guterres.

Warning of a Food Crisis

Speaking at an Asia Society event in New York on Monday, Jaishankar said fertiliser shortages and obstacles to grain exports could combine to create a major food crisis in the coming months.

“We are already looking at major significant fertiliser shortages,” he said, warning that leading grain exporters could face serious difficulties moving shipments, particularly through critical Black Sea corridors.

“So there is gonna be a major food crisis probably, you know, in the coming months,” he said.

Jaishankar also cautioned that politically driven decisions affecting oil supplies could push up prices when countries urgently needed macroeconomic stability.

Conflicts were adding to the strain by driving capital towards safer financial havens, drawing investment away from the Global South, he said.

“Countries should not be so self-centred that you’re in your own world and take your decision,” he said, urging policymakers to consider the wider consequences of their choices.

‘Those Most Impacted Often Have the Least Say’

The minister’s remarks echoed his September 26 address to the UN General Assembly, where he called for restraint and de-escalation.

“Countries far from conflicts are being penalised for no fault of theirs. Those most impacted often have the least say,” Jaishankar told the assembly.

He said the conflict in the Gulf was worsening an already difficult international situation and condemned attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers using international waterways.

“India calls upon all parties to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, ensure protection of civilians, and uninterrupted flow of energy and commerce,” he said.

India Backs Peace Efforts

Jaishankar said India was prepared to help ease the situation, particularly in relation to food and energy security.

On continuing violence in West Asia, he reiterated India’s support for a two-state solution as the basis for a durable peace.

Addressing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for an end to hostilities.

“As Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated, endless war must give way now to an end to war. India supports ongoing initiatives to bring peace,” he said.

With inputs from ANI