‘Partners for Multilateralism’: India to attend new non-superpower grouping’s inaugural session at UN

India will join several countries committed to supporting United Nations (UN)-based multilateralism, away from “superpower” politics, as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will attend the “Partners for Multilateralism” (P4M) meet in New York on Monday (September 21, 2026).

The P4M initiative, founded by leaders of the European Union, Brazil, Kenya and Canada is expected to make a pitch for the grouping at the UN General Assembly’s “high-level debate” session this week.

In a joint editorial, leaders of the four founders said the grouping will support the UN but push for it to be more representative and prepared for global challenges, including AI (Artificial Intelligence), climate change, health security and digital transformation. 

“P4M will support the reform of the UN and other multilateral institutions, to make them more representative, legitimate, effective and trusted,” the leaders, including EC President Antonio Costa, Brazil President Lula da Silva, Kenyan President William Rutto and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote in an editorial published in the U.K.-based Financial Times.

Mr. Carney had delivered a speech on “Middle powers” coming together at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January this year, which signalled growing dissatisfaction not just with Russia and China for unilateral moves and conflicts, but with the United States over trade and tariffs, expansionist moves, and the conflict in Iran that have been undertaken during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term. 

Jaishankar’s participation

When asked, officials confirmed that Mr. Jaishankar, who will lead the Indian delegation at the UN sessions all week and will make the national address at UNGA on Saturday (September 26), will attend the P4M inaugural session slotted for 6.30 p.m. in New York (4 a.m. IST on Tuesday), which will be followed by a press conference. It is unclear whether India was asked to join the joint message. India is already part of a number of groups like the Non-Aligned Movement, BRICS, G20, and G-4 that have similar objectives.

The editorial on Monday pointed to comments by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in which he had said that “superpowers are discovering their limits”, adding that the P4M grouping believes that the “international community must rediscover the extraordinary potential of collective action”.  Mr. Guterres, who demits office later this year, spoke to The Hindu amongst five global outlets in U.S., U.K., South Africa, the Gulf region and India. 

“We have superpowers that have not yet recognised that their power has limits and they get into adventures that produce terrible results,” Mr. Guterres had said, specifically pointing to Russia, which was still embroiled in the war in Ukraine four years later, while the U.S. is facing “difficulties” with its war in Iran. 

“I think it’s time for superpowers to understand the limits of their power, and that will help the world become more peaceful,” Mr. Guterres said, speaking to The Hindu in New Delhi, where he attended the 18th BRICS Summit.

The editorial also said that the ‘Partners for Multilateralism’, would not create another exclusive bloc or international bureaucracy. “Its purpose is the opposite: to create a flexible, open framework for countries from different regions and political traditions that are willing to work across divides, to build coalitions for reform and to translate shared principles into practical action,” the co-authors wrote, pointing out that 2025 saw the highest recorded number of state-based armed conflicts since 1946, in 35 countries, and highest recorded military spending of nearly $3 trillion.