India has joined the European Union, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Barbados and Kenya in launching Partners for Multilateralism (P4M) on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The initiative, launched on September 21, brings together countries seeking stronger multilateral cooperation amid escalating conflicts, geopolitical competition, trade disruptions and concerns over the use of economic interdependence as leverage.
A further 16 countries signed the declaration, taking the total number of signatories to 23. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who co-chaired the summit with European Council President António Costa, called for greater adherence to international law and more participative and transparent decision-making.
The declaration seeks to reform institutions including the UN while strengthening cooperation on peace, trade, supply chains, climate change, AI, global health and development.
A New Multilateral Coalition
The P4M initiative brings together countries from different regions and political groupings at a time when global institutions face pressure from wars, economic disruptions and growing strategic rivalry. The seven initial co-sponsors were Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, India and Kenya.
Sixteen additional countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Guatemala, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Norway, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Türkiye and Uruguay subsequently signed the declaration.
The initiative is being positioned as an open and flexible platform rather than an exclusive geopolitical bloc. Its stated objective is to help make multilateral institutions more representative, effective, legitimate and trusted, while building cooperation between countries that may differ on several issues but share a commitment to the principles of the UN Charter.
European Council President António Costa said the participating countries come from different continents and have different histories and perspectives, but face challenges that “cannot be solved by any country acting alone”. He added that lasting peace and prosperity require international law, effective institutions and international cooperation.
Why Reform Is Being Demanded
The declaration warns that growing polarisation, armed conflicts, violations of international law, protectionism, coercion and the increasing use of power politics are placing pressure on international peace and cooperation. It also highlights the growing use of economic interdependence as leverage, affecting trade, supply chains, investment and development finance.
At the same time, P4M does not call for abandoning the existing multilateral system. Instead, the signatories said the system founded on the UN Charter remains indispensable, having provided a framework for peace, decolonisation, prosperity and human dignity.
However, they argued that it must evolve to reflect a world that is more interconnected, complex, contested and multipolar. The declaration backs reforms to the UN, including through the UN80 initiative, to strengthen its ability to prevent conflicts, respond to crises, promote sustainable development, support fair trade and protect human rights and the rule of law.
For India, the push also aligns with Jaishankar’s call for more participative deliberations and transparent decision-making. Addressing the summit, he said the global order was under stress because a period of geopolitical rebalancing had been accompanied by “extreme competition, geopolitical tensions and actual conflicts”. He argued that international law, rules and norms must be consistently observed for multilateralism to work effectively.
Jaishankar Flags ‘4F’ Crisis
Jaishankar also linked geopolitical instability with disruptions affecting ordinary economies and communities. He warned that the “4F crisis” fuel, food, fertiliser and finance cannot be left unaddressed, highlighting how instability in one part of the world can have consequences for supplies, prices, development and economic security elsewhere. He called for stronger international cooperation on these interconnected challenges.
Another key point was the need to reduce vulnerabilities created by concentrated supply chains and strategic choke points. Jaishankar said that where there are threats from “choke points, dominance, and disruption”, countries should pursue de-risking and diversification. He also argued that countries with shared objectives should have the confidence to work together when there is a compelling case for collective action.
The P4M declaration similarly backs more diversified and resilient supply chains, reform of the multilateral trading system and improvements to the international financial architecture. Its agenda extends beyond economics, covering artificial intelligence, digital transformation, climate change, global health, disaster resilience, pandemics and counterterrorism. Jaishankar stressed that international security, climate action, emerging technologies, development finance and supply-chain resilience ultimately depend on a willingness to cooperate.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At a time when wars, economic pressure and geopolitical rivalry increasingly affect people far beyond national borders, the call for dialogue and cooperation is significant. Multilateral institutions may need reform, but the answer to a more divided world cannot simply be deeper division.
P4M’s emphasis on international law, peaceful dispute resolution, resilient economies and cooperation across regions offers a reminder that global challenges require countries to keep communicating even when their interests differ.
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