Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen,
Thank you for being here. Your presence is appreciated, especially at this time of the morning.
This year India turned 75, and we have a story to tell.
In the 18th century, India accounted for about a quarter of the global GDP. By the middle of 20th, colonialism ensured that we were one of the poorest nations of the world. That was our state when we became a founding member of the United Nations.
But in the 75th year of its independence, India stands before you, proudly, as the fifth biggest economy of the world and is still rising as the strongest, most enthusiastic and definitely the most argumentative democracy. Our development rests on an expansive Digital Public Infrastructure designed to promote that "No one is left behind”. In recent days, digital technology has successfully advanced our food-safety net to 800 million Indians, more than US$300 billion of benefits have been distributed digitally, 400 million people get food regularly and we have administered over 2 billion vaccinations and the secret of that is indeed Digital.
India today envisions itself as a developed country by 2047, a 100 years of our independence. We dream of digitizing our most remote villages and landing on the moon, perhaps even digitizing it.
Friends,
Our foundational belief is that India’s own development is inseparable from that of the rest of the world. Without doubt, our progress and growth has also benefitted from our interface with the United Nations and its agencies. India, as you all know, was a founding member of the UN and as we mark 75 years of freedom, we also celebrate 75 years of our partnership with the UN.
The India UN Development Partnership Fund is particularly symbolic of this relationship, because it is the first-ever single country South-South initiative at the UN. It currently extends to 66 development projects in 51 countries. Today, you will hear some of these stories from my colleagues.
Our multifaceted partnership with the UN is significantly reflected in the area of peacekeeping. We have contributed over the years more than a quarter million personnel to this effort, more than any other country. But it would be best if you heard that from others about the difference that we have made to peacekeeping.
India has also enabled two major initiatives for global climate action. The first is the International Solar Alliance which India pioneered with France in 2015, on sidelines of COP21. Today, it has over 100 members. The second is the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in which India is the founder member. At the COP26 last year, we helped to launch further initiatives under these two platforms like the "One sun, One world, One grid" – Green Grids Initiative and the "Infrastructure for Resilient Island States” initiative.
Excellencies,
The Covid-19 Pandemic is an unprecedented global crisis. When needed, we responded first with vaccines for our friends in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and our own neighborhood. I am delighted that there will be others who will share their perspective on this subject.
The conflict in Ukraine has aggravated food and energy inflation to make it one of the biggest challenges of our times. India has responded by supplying food grains, including as grant assistance in recent years to Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Yemen and several countries in Africa. It is important that we hear from those who have joined us today on the criticality of food security.
Friends,
We believe that Development is a Public Good. ‘Open Sourcing’ is the best way forward. India believes that the UN can be an even bigger ‘force multiplier’ in advancing SDGs by pooling global knowledge.
So let me conclude by reiterating that India stands committed, it stands ready to strengthen its partnerships with the UN to ensure a brighter future for the planet. We have full faith in the principles of the United Nations and its Charter, and in our belief in reformed multilateralism as key to shared goals of the world. The world, in our view, is one family. Your presence today reaffirms that. Thank you very much.
New York
September 24, 2022
