Remarks by EAM Dr. S Jaishankar at the Second G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, New York (September 25, 2025)

Minister Lamola, Excellencies, Colleagues,

I join other members in thanking you, Minister, for convening this meeting. And reaffirm India's support for the priorities of the South African G20 presidency.

Colleagues, our focus today is on the correlation between international peace and global development. In recent times, that is well established as both deteriorated in parallel. The costs - especially to the Global South - in terms of energy, food and fertilizer security were starkly demonstrated by ongoing conflicts, particularly in Ukraine and Gaza. Apart from jeopardizing supplies and logistics, access and costs themselves became pressure points on nations. Double standards are clearly in evidence.

Excellencies, peace can certainly enable development; but by threatening development we cannot facilitate peace. Making energy and other essentials more uncertain in an economically fragile situation helps no one. Therefore, the way out is to move the needle towards dialogue and diplomacy, not in the opposite direction towards further complications.

In any conflict situation, there will be a few who have the ability to engage both sides. Such countries can be utilized by the international community, both to achieve peace and to maintain it thereafter. So even as we attempt to address complex threats to peace, the value of encouraging a buy-in from those supportive of such goals should be appreciated.

A persistent threat to development is that perennial disruptor of peace - terrorism. It is imperative that the world display neither tolerance nor accommodation to terrorist activities. Given the extensive networking amongst terrorists, those who act against them on any front actually render a larger service to the international community as a whole.

As we confront conflict, economic pressures and terrorism, the limitations of multilateralism and United Nations in particular are visible. The need for reforming multilateralism has never been greater.

Colleagues, the international situation is today both politically and economically volatile. We, as members of G20 have a particular responsibility to strengthen its stability and give it a more positive direction. That is best done by undertaking dialogue and diplomacy, by firmly combating terrorism and by appreciating the need for stronger energy and economic security.

I thank you.