The External Affairs Minister urged nations to embrace India’s philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and called for deeper international cooperation to address global challenges…reports Asian Lite News Desk
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday called for greater international cooperation to address global challenges, invoking India’s age old philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, or “the world is one family”, as a guiding principle for building a more resilient and inclusive global order.
Addressing the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity 2026 in South Korea, Jaishankar said the increasingly interconnected nature of global challenges made international cooperation indispensable despite rising geopolitical tensions and fragmentation.
“Paradoxically, the challenges we confront have only further strengthened the centripetal side. Whether it is pandemics like Covid, acts of terrorism, or the impact of extreme climate events, these cannot be contained within political jurisdictions. International cooperation is a must,” he said.
Jaishankar noted that while nations naturally prioritise their own interests, cultivating a broader outlook was essential in today’s interconnected world.
“Because our primary identity and decision making instincts are fundamentally national, it does not happen automatically. Cultivating an openness towards the world is therefore essential. In India, we know it traditionally as ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, the world is a family. Much of the current turbulence we see is about societies that challenge that belief,” he said.
Highlighting the shifting global landscape, the minister warned of increasing weaponisation, greater geopolitical risk taking and the growing use of strategic capabilities to advance national interests.
“As the interests of a few are openly prioritised, the costs to the many are less considered. This can only be countered by cooperation on more issues with greater players. At the end of the day, we will see whether multipolarity really delivers,” he said.
Jaishankar proposed a five point framework to strengthen international cooperation in an increasingly fragmented world.
He said the first priority should be de risking the global economy by diversifying production and supply chains to improve resilience and reduce the scope for economic coercion.
The second, he said, was building stronger partnerships among influential countries to promote stability and address global challenges through issue based cooperation.
Thirdly, he called for greater awareness of the dangers of confrontation and narrow thinking while stressing the need to uphold international law and global frameworks, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as an example.
His fourth proposal focused on empowering the Global South by expanding access to opportunities and capacity building, which he said would also create new engines of global economic growth.
Finally, he called for greater collaboration in delivering global public goods through shared international efforts.
“We cannot rely on a few to uphold rules and norms. The world must take more control over its own future. This, amongst others, must be expressed in reformed multilateralism,” Jaishankar said.
The minister also said the priorities he outlined offered significant opportunities for India and South Korea to deepen their partnership.
“We have complementarities in fields like shipbuilding, digital, health, infrastructure, or defence just waiting to be exploited. The value of our economic and technology partnership, political and strategic cooperation, and closer people to people ties were the subjects of my bilateral meetings yesterday,” he said.
Jaishankar’s address came as countries increasingly seek stronger partnerships to address global economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and evolving security challenges through greater international cooperation.
