00:00I now give the floor to His Excellency Sabrahan Yam Jai Shankar, Minister of External Affairs of India.
00:09Madam President, Excellencies, Distinguished Members of the General Assembly,
00:31Greetings and Namaskar from 1.4 billion people of Bharat.
00:39I congratulate the President of the General Assembly, His Excellency Mr. Philemon Young,
00:46and strongly support the 79th UN General Assembly's theme of leaving no one behind.
00:55Madam President, We are gathered here at a difficult time.
01:02The world is yet to recover from the ravages of the COVID pandemic.
01:08A war in Ukraine is well into its third year.
01:14The conflict in Gaza is acquiring wider ramifications.
01:21Across the Global South, development plans have gone off-rails and SDG targets are receding.
01:31But there is more.
01:34Unfair trade practices threaten jobs just as unviable projects raise debt levels.
01:42Any connectivity that flouts sovereignty and territorial integrity acquires strategic connotations.
01:50Especially when it is not a shared endeavour.
01:55Technology advancements, which have long been a source of hope, are now equally a factor of anxiety.
02:04Climate events occur with greater intensity and frequency.
02:10Food security is as worrisome as health security.
02:17In truth, the world stands fractious, polarized and frustrated.
02:24Conversations have become difficult, agreements even more so.
02:30This is surely not what the founders of the United Nations would have wanted of us.
02:37Madam President,
02:39Almost exactly eight decades ago, the first steps towards the formation of the UN were taken near here at Dumbarton Oaks.
02:50Refined thereafter at the Yalta Conference, they were finally approved in San Francisco.
02:57The debates of that era centered around how to ensure world peace, a prerequisite for global prosperity.
03:08Today, we find both peace and prosperity equally endangered.
03:16And that, Madam President, is because trust has eroded and processes have broken down.
03:24Countries have extracted more from the international system than they have put into it, enfeebling it in the process.
03:34We see that vividly in every challenge and every crisis.
03:39Reforming multilateralism is therefore an imperative.
03:45The urgency of this call is highlighted by the theme of this session.
03:51Leaving no one behind means advancing peace, ensuring sustainable development and strengthening human dignity.
04:01This cannot be delivered by a UN paralyzed when faced with division, conflict, terrorism and violence.
04:11Nor can it be advanced if access to food, fuel and fertilizer is jeopardized.
04:19When capturing markets lacks restraint, it damages the livelihood and social fabric of others.
04:27Evasion of climate action responsibilities by the developed undermine the growth prospect of the developing.
04:35Indeed, when resource crunch limits the very pursuit of SDG targets, it is not just economies but human dignity itself that is imperative.
04:49If the world is in such a state, this body must ask itself, how has this come to pass?
04:58The problems arise from a combination of structural shortcomings, political calculations, naked self-interest and yes, disregard for those left behind.
05:15It is natural to feel overwhelmed by what we confront now.
05:21After all, there are so many dimensions, different moving parts, issues of the day and the changing landscape.
05:31But every change must begin somewhere and there is no better place than where it all started.
05:41We, the members of the United Nations, must now seriously and purposefully address ourselves to that task.
05:53Not because it is a competition for influence or a squabble for positions, but because if we carry on like this, the state of the world is only going to get worse.
06:06And that could mean that more of us are going to be left behind.
06:11Madam President, as the world contemplates these concerns, India has sought to respond in a variety of ways.
06:20First, by focusing on the issues of the vulnerable, women, farmers and youth.
06:28And fashioning targeted policies and initiatives for their betterment.
06:35Assured access to piped water, to electricity, to cooking gas and new homes are changing millions of lives.
06:45The gender gap has started to close, be it in health, in education or in the workplace.
06:53Our food producers, thrice a year, get financial support at the click of a button.
07:01And a third-term government has made skilling of the youth its key priority.
07:08Second, by expanding opportunities for employment and for entrepreneurship, including through stronger training and large-scale financial incentives.
07:21495 million Mudra loans have been given to small businesses in the last decade. 67% of them are to women.
07:35Equally telling, 6.56 million street vendors have availed of 8.85 million Swanidhi loans.
07:46This is just in the last four years. 45% of the beneficiaries are again women.
07:53Third, by creating templates that are applicable elsewhere.
07:59It could be digital delivery or enhancing the quality of governance and public services.
08:05As indeed, making medicines and health facilities accessible and affordable.
08:13A digital public infrastructure and a people's pharmacy are today examples of what India can readily offer to the world.
08:23It is also an alternative vision where technology is used to empower, not to dominate.
08:31Fourth, by encouraging the global south to voice its shared concerns and come together.
08:41To that end, we have convened three Global South Summits, the most recent in August of 2024.
08:49And fifth, by contributing to the well-being of the global commons and responding to the pressing needs of those in distress.
09:00This has ranged from undertaking projects in 78 nations, providing resources to neighbours,
09:08and responding to HADR situations, to supplying medicines and ensuring maritime safety and security.
09:18Madam President, given the scale of transformation underway in India,
09:24each of these dimensions underline that the world's problems can indeed be tackled.
09:31And that by working together, we can surely create a larger lifting tide.
09:38In these troubled times, it is necessary, Madam President, to provide hope and rekindle optimism.
09:48We have to demonstrate that big changes are possible, and not over a long period.
09:56And nothing is more powerful in this regard than the transformative potential of the digital.
10:04We have seen its impact in our daily lives in India over the last decade.
10:10It is visible when public benefits, from nutritional support and housing to energy and health, are delivered efficiently and on a vast scale.
10:21Or when small business loans and farmer support are extended without using intermediaries.
10:31In fact, when street vendors and expat workforce confidently use fintech in their regular transactions,
10:41when services delivery and benefits move seamlessly and transparently, less people will be left behind.
10:50That, Madam President, is India's experience and India's relevance.
10:57Such leapfrogging possibilities, coupled with people-centric policies and visionary leadership, can be real game-changers.
11:08When India lands on the moon, rolls out its own 5G stack, dispatches vaccines worldwide,
11:18embraces fintech, or houses so many global capability centers,
11:24there is a message here.
11:27Our quest for a vixit Bharat, or a developed India, will understandably be followed closely.
11:36Madam President, an important cause of many getting left behind has been the unfairness of the current globalization model.
11:48Over-concentration of production has hollowed out many economies, impacting their employment and social stability.
11:58Democratizing global production, building resilient supply chains, ensuring trusted digital services, and espousing an open-source culture, all these promote widespread prosperity.
12:15There are economic answers, just as there are social ones.
12:20Madam President, the UN has always maintained that peace and development go hand-in-hand.
12:29Yet, when challenges to one have emerged, due regard has not been given to the other.
12:37Clearly, their economic implications for the weak and vulnerable need to be highlighted.
12:45But we must also recognize that conflicts themselves must be resolved.
12:51The world cannot be fatalistic about the continuation of violence on a large scale, no more than be impervious to its broader consequences.
13:03Whether it is the war in Ukraine or the conflict in Gaza, the international community seeks urgent solutions.
13:13These sentiments must be acknowledged and acted upon.
13:18Madam President, the UN is a testimony to the agreed principles and shared objectives of the world order.
13:28Respect for international law and commitments are among the foremost in that regard.
13:35If we are to ensure global security and stability, then it is essential that those who seek to lead set the right example.
13:46Nor can we countenance egregious violations of our basic tenets.
13:54Terrorism is antithetical of everything that the world stands for.
14:01All its forms and manifestations must be resolutely opposed.
14:07The sanctioning of global terrorists by the United Nations should also not be impeded for political reasons.
14:16Madam President, many countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control.
14:26But some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences.
14:33A premier example is our neighbour, Pakistan.
14:38Unfortunately, their misdeeds affect others as well, especially the neighbourhood.
14:45When this polity instils such fanaticism among its people, its GDP can only be measured in terms of radicalisation and its exports in the form of terrorism.
15:01Today, we see the ills it sought to visit on others consume its own society.
15:10It can't blame the world. This is only karma.
15:14Madam President, a dysfunctional nation coveting the lands of others must be exposed and must be countered.
15:25We heard some bizarre assertions from it at this very forum yesterday.
15:31So let me make India's position perfectly clear.
15:37Pakistan's cross-border terrorism policy will never succeed.
15:43And it can have no expectation of impunity.
15:48On the contrary, actions will certainly have consequences.
15:54The issue to be resolved between us is now only the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan.
16:04And of course, the abandonment of Pakistan's long-standing attachment to terrorism.
16:13Madam President, the global order is inherently pluralistic and diverse.
16:19The UN began with 51 members. We are now 193.
16:25The world has changed profoundly and so have its concerns and its opportunities.
16:31But to address both, and indeed to strengthen the order itself,
16:36it is essential that the UN be the central platform for finding common ground.
16:43And that it certainly cannot be by remaining anachronistic.
16:48Large parts of the world cannot be left behind when it comes to deciding the key issues of our times.
16:56An effective and efficient UN, a more representative UN, and a UN fit for purpose in the contemporary era is essential.
17:07Let us therefore send out a clear message from this UNGA session.
17:13We are determined not to be left behind.
17:17By coming together, sharing experiences, pooling resources, and strengthening our resolve,
17:24we can change the world for the better.
17:27I thank you, Madam President.
17:33I thank the Minister for External Affairs of India.
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