Crisis of Multilateralism

Crisis of Multilateralism
 

News: The inability of the Group of Twenty foreign ministers, who met in Delhi this week, to agree on a final statement was no surprise.
 

Background:
 The principal reason for the diplomatic failure at Delhi was the decision by Russia to walk away from the Bali consensus and China’s decision to support it.
 India, which has the responsibility to lead the G20 at this difficult juncture, is not ready to throw in the towel. It is confident that there is much time before the G20 leaders arrive in Delhi for the September summit.
 

What is Multilateralism?
 Multilateralism, process of organizing relations between groups of three or more states. Beyond that basic quantitative aspect, multilateralism is generally considered to comprise certain qualitative elements or principles that shape the character of the arrangement or institution.
 Those principles are an indivisibility of interests among participants, a commitment to diffuse reciprocity, and a system of dispute settlement intended to enforce a particular mode of behaviour.
 Multilateralism has a long history, but it is principally associated with the era after World War II.
 

What were the issues that needed to be addressed in recent meetings?
 The war in Ukraine - The G20 members accept that security issues can have a big impact on the world economy but that the G20 is not the platform to address such issues.
 Upholding international law that safeguards peace and stability - This includes defending the Principles enshrined in the Charter of the UN and adhering to international humanitarian law.
 Pressing global issues such as conflicts, climate change, migration, macroeconomic instability, and cybersecurity can indeed only be solved collectively.
 

What agreements were highlighted by EAM?
 A number issues of interest to India and the developing world. These include food and energy security, cooperation to counter terrorism, climate change, global health and disaster management.
 

What are ambitions of India?
 To continue the campaign to reform multilateralism and to get the world to take greater cognizance of the challenges faced by the “Global South”.