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Middle Powers Launch 'Partners for Multilateralism' to Reinforce UN Cooperation

P4M seeks to convert shared principles into practical workstreams to press for UN reform with funding and institutional details still undecided.

Overview

  • Leaders issued a joint declaration at the UN General Assembly on Monday, September 21, 2026, formally launching Partners for Multilateralism and naming seven co-sponsors: the EU, Brazil, Canada, India, Kenya, Australia and Barbados.
  • The co-sponsors tasked senior officials to establish a coordination channel and to identify priority areas for practical cooperation on climate, artificial intelligence, health security, supply chains and economic governance.
  • India joined as a co-sponsor and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar co-chaired summit sessions, urging 'reformed multilateralism,' guardrails for new technologies, and action on the '4F' crisis of fuel, food, fertiliser and finance.
  • Founders emphasised P4M will be an open, flexible network rather than a closed bloc, but they have not yet set a permanent secretariat, confirmed funding or defined formal membership rules.
  • The initiative is framed as a response to rising conflicts and pressure on international law, and its influence will depend on how quickly members convert coordination into funded, operational projects that deliver visible results.