External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasized India's role in global aid and development while calling for urgent UN reforms, urging nations to prioritize diplomacy and collective action to resolve ongoing global conflicts and crises.
India's Global Outreach and Philosophy
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said India continued to demonstrate its commitment to global cooperation through vaccine supplies, development partnerships and humanitarian assistance, highlighting the country's approach of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam". Speaking at the Chinmaya Amrit Mahotsav Global Sammelan on the occasion of United Nations Day at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Jaishankar highlighted India's support for other countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and its development and capacity-building initiatives across the world.
"During the COVID epidemic, India decided to supply vaccines to nations that could have been left behind, even while its own vaccination was in progress," Jaishankar said. Highlighting India's development partnerships, the External Affairs Minister said, "India's development partnerships today span 78 nations with hundreds of projects." "Its training and its capacity-building institutions have space for the world, even while driving its own national goals," he added.
Jaishankar also highlighted India's role in providing emergency assistance to countries in need, citing examples from different regions. "Its first responder capabilities are on regular display. Whether we speak of Nepal or Sri Lanka, or indeed of Venezuela or Jamaica, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is practised. It is not merely preached," he said.
UN Cooperation and Global Conflicts
During the address, Jaishankar also highlighted the importance of cooperation among nations in addressing global challenges. "Humankind has witnessed perpetual arguments between those who stress competitiveness and others who see a virtue in cooperation. These may be individual or even societal predicaments, but on the global stage, they translate into how nations behave with one another. The collective and cooperative instincts of the world were articulated, were expressed eight decades ago in the founding of the United Nations," he said.
Referring to Article 1 of the UN Charter, Jaishankar said the institution was intended to be "a centre for harmonising the actions of nations in the attainment of common ends." "It is fitting, therefore, that we gather to advance a sense of oneness as we celebrate the UN Day. After all, whether it is the challenges or the opportunities that confront the world, these can be best, most effectively addressed collectively," he added.
Addressing International Crises
Highlighting the impact of the ongoing conflicts, the External Affairs Minister said that people and economies far removed from the fighting were also bearing the consequences. "There are today two major conflicts going on in the world: in Ukraine and in West Asia or the Middle East. Societies and economies, peoples far away, who have little say in the matter, are actually paying the cost. We cannot remain helpless spectators," Jaishankar said. "India expresses global sentiment when we urge that dialogue and diplomacy are the only solution. We are making efforts ourselves and are open to working with other partners to that end," he added.
The Need for Multilateral Reform
On the need for reforms in the United Nations, Jaishankar said the shortcomings and limitations of the global body must be recognised and addressed, adding that the case for reformed multilateralism was becoming stronger by the day. "Large parts of the world cannot be left out from decision-making. The UN must show leadership, not be a spectator to global crises," he said.
Calling for a renewed commitment to collective action, Jaishankar said the international community must continue to work towards long-awaited changes in the global multilateral system. "On this occasion, even as we recognise the need for such long-awaited changes, let us renew our commitment to work together. We are common, we are shared, we are united," he said.
Celebrated on October 24, United Nations Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. The United Nations officially came into being with the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council. (ANI)
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