The Hindu called for UN reform ahead of the 81st General Assembly session
The editorial board of The Hindu International, in an article about the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, called on states to strengthen and reform the organization. The publication believes that the UN has become too cumbersome, weak and insufficiently representative amid wars, polarization, nuclear threats, unilateral sanctions, pandemics, climate disasters and the development of artificial intelligence.
Call for reform
According to the editorial board's assessment, the tenure of UN Secretary-General António Guterres has coincided with a period of a record number of global crises and conflicts. The publication referred to a study that recorded more than 65 conflicts in 35 countries in 2025 — the highest number since 1946.
The Hindu noted that the current session is Guterres's last as secretary-general. In the editorial board's view, the election of his successor should take place in parallel with the process of strengthening and reforming the UN. Bangladesh's foreign minister, Khalilur Rahman, was elected president of the 81st General Assembly session and will oversee the selection of the new secretary-general.
Leaders' speeches and multilateralism
The publication criticized what it considers a lack of decisions on the future in the speeches of leaders of states involved in the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and the Persian Gulf. US President Donald Trump spoke about the possible destruction of Iran and defended US actions in Venezuela. He also repeated claims that he had brokered peace in several conflicts, including during the four-day war between India and Pakistan in 2025.
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called the United States and Israel killers, terrorists and assassins. The president of the Russian Federation — an aggressor state — skipped the session, while the United States did not issue visas to the Palestinian delegation, the publication noted.
The Hindu also mentioned the Partnership for Multilateralism initiative, promoted by the European Union and several other countries with India's co-sponsorship. In the editorial board's view, this initiative, aimed at developing multilateralism beyond superpower hegemony, remained overshadowed by harsh rhetoric during the session.
For India, the session is also important because of the start of Narendra Modi's government's campaign for a second two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2028–2029. The editorial board called Modi's decision not to speak at the General Assembly and not to participate in related multilateral summits after hosting the BRICS summit in Delhi unexpected.
