Madam President,
As the world contemplates these concerns, India has sought to respond in a variety of ways.
First, by focusing on the issues of the vulnerable, women, farmers, and youth. And fashioning targeted policies and initiatives for their betterment.
Assured access to piped water, electricity, cooking gas, and new homes is changing millions of lives. The gender gap has started to close, be it in health, education or in the workplace. Our food producers, thrice a year, get financial support at the click of a button.
And a third-term government has made skilling of the youth its key priority.
Second, by expanding opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship, including through stronger training and large-scale financial incentives. 495 million Mudra loans have been given to small businesses in the last decade. 67 % of them are to women.
Equally telling, 6.56 million street vendors have availed of 8.85 million Svanidhi loans. This is just in the last 4 years. 45% of the beneficiaries are again women.
Third, by creating templates that are replicable elsewhere. It could be digital delivery or enhancing the quality of governance and public services. Indeed, making medicines and health facilities accessible and affordable.
A digital public infrastructure and a people’s pharmacy are today examples of what India can readily offer to the world. It is also an alternative vision where technology is used to empower, not to dominate.
Fourth, by encouraging the Global South to voice its shared concerns and come together. To that end, we have convened three Global South Summits, the most recent in August of 2024.
And fifth, by contributing to the well-being of the global commons and responding to the pressing needs of those in distress.
This has ranged from undertaking projects in 78 nations, providing resources to neighbors and responding to HADR situations, to supplying medicines and ensuring maritime safety and security.
Many countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control. But some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences.
A premier example is our neighbor, Pakistan. Unfortunately, their misdeeds affect others as well, especially the neighborhood.
When this polity instills such fanaticism among its people, its GDP can only be measured in terms of radicalization and its exports in the form of terrorism.
Today, we see the ills it sought to visit on others consume its own society. It can’t blame the world; this is only karma.
Madam President,
A dysfunctional nation coveting the lands of others must be exposed and must be countered. We heard some bizarre assertions from it at this forum yesterday. So let me make India’s position perfectly clear.
Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism policy will never succeed. And it cannot expect impunity. On the contrary, actions will certainly have consequences. The issue to be resolved between us is now only the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan. And of course the abandonment of Pakistan’s longstanding attachment to terrorism.
Madam President,
The global order is inherently pluralistic and diverse. The UN began with 51 members; we are now 193. The world has changed profoundly and so have its concerns and opportunities.
But to address both and indeed to strengthen the order itself, the UN must be the central platform for finding common ground.
And that it certainly cannot be, by remaining anachronistic.
Large parts of the world cannot be left behind when it comes to deciding the key issues of our times. An effective and efficient UN, a more representative UN, and a UN fit for purpose in the contemporary era is essential.
Let us therefore send out a clear message from this UNGA Session: we are determined not to be left behind. By coming together, sharing experiences, pooling resources, and strengthening our resolve, we can change the world for the better.
I thank you, Madam President.