Lucknow | Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the United Nations could have played a "much stronger" role in global conflicts such as Israel-Hamas and Ukraine-Russia, and in humanitarian crises unfolding in Sudan, stressing that today's new world needs a new UN and international order.

He was addressing the International Conference of Chief Justices of the World organised by the private City Montessori School in his parliamentary constituency of Lucknow.

He said that today, conflicts are ongoing in several parts of the world — the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Ukraine-Russia war and humanitarian crises unfolding in Sudan and many regions of Africa.

"Amid all this, we could have expected to see a much stronger role of the United Nations. We are not seeing that, but we could have," he remarked.

Singh added that this gap in their action does not reflect any lack of intent on the part of the United Nations; rather, it stems from the complexities of global politics, the influence exerted by major powers, and the slow pace of institutional processes. "These factors have often raised questions about the UN's authority," he said.

"This situation can change only when we bring the United Nations back to its core objectives — peace, justice, and equal representation — as originally envisioned," he said.

"I firmly believe that today's new world requires a new United Nations," the defence minister stressed.