News - Indian Foreign Minister: It’s a world very much of ‘double standards’

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has drawn attention to the persistence of double standards in global affairs. Speaking at a ministerial session titled "South Rising: Partnerships, Institutions and Ideas," an event organised by the Observer Research Foundation, Jaishankar noted that the world was witnessing political pressure for change, particularly from the Global South. There was also resistance to change, he said, pointing to those wielding economic and institutional influence, such as seen at the United Nations Security Council. “Those who are economically dominant today are leveraging their production capabilities,” the Minister said, adding that those with historical institutional influence have “weaponised” a lot of these capabilities. “They will all mouth the right things. But the reality is, still today, it’s a world very much of double standards,” Mr. Jaishankar said, pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic as an example. There was also a cultural rebalancing under way, he said. “And cultural rebalancing really means recognising the diversity of the world, respecting diversity, giving other cultures and other traditions that due respect,” he said.