At the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar addressed the inaugural meeting of the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers — a new multilateral grouping formed to put the welfare of the world's seafarers and the security of global shipping lanes squarely on the UN's agenda.

A new forum for an old, urgent problem

The Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers (#GoFonS4) is a freshly constituted platform bringing together member states at the United Nations to address what has long been a gap in multilateral attention — the safety of maritime trade arteries and the human beings who keep them moving. Its inaugural meeting, held on the sidelines of UNGA81, marks a formal institutional moment for this agenda.

Seafarers constitute the backbone of global commerce: over 80 percent of world trade by volume moves by sea, and the roughly 1.9 million seafarers worldwide are the often-invisible labour force behind that system. Issues ranging from piracy and armed robbery at sea, to abandonment of crew by shipowners, to delayed repatriation during crises — all fall within the frame this group is designed to address.

India's maritime stake at the UN

India has a direct and substantial interest in this domain. The country is one of the world's largest suppliers of merchant navy officers, with Indian seafarers serving on vessels across every major shipping route. Dr. Jaishankar, who has consistently championed India's voice on global commons issues — from the Indo-Pacific to international law of the sea — brought that institutional weight to the inaugural session.

India's engagement at the United Nations on non-traditional security issues, including ocean governance and maritime transport, has deepened through successive UNGA sessions. Participation in and, notably, the inaugural convening of a Group of Friends signals that New Delhi sees seafarer welfare not merely as a labour issue but as a matter of strategic and humanitarian importance in multilateral diplomacy.

What the 'Group of Friends' format means

A 'Group of Friends' at the UN is an informal but consequential mechanism — member states coalesce around a shared concern to generate political visibility, coordinate positions, and eventually push for outcomes in formal UN bodies. The format has been used effectively on issues ranging from ceasefire monitoring to humanitarian access. For shipping and seafarer safety, the inaugural meeting is the starting gun, not the finish line.

Dr. Jaishankar's presence and remarks at the very first session position India as a founding voice — one whose credibility is underwritten both by its seafarer-exporting status and its longstanding engagement with international maritime law and the International Maritime Organization.

As the #GoFonS4 convenes for the first time, the real measure of its impact will come in the outcome documents, the member states it attracts, and whether its deliberations translate into binding commitments — the world's seafarers are watching.