INDIA
STATEMENT
BY
H.E. Mr. Jaswant Singh,
At the
55th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
September 19, 2000
Mr. President,
India
congratulates you on your election as President of the first General Assembly
of this Millennium. We are encouraged that you intend to take the Millennium
Declaration as the mandate for work of the Organisation during your Presidency.
I
take this opportunity to place on record our high appreciation of and to
sincerely compliment Foreign Minister Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab of Namibia, for his
guidance of the General Assembly in the past year which included three Special
Sessions, and of course, meticulous preparations for the Millennium Summit.
I
join India’s voice to those other delegations in noting with appreciation the
dedication with which Secretary General Kofi Annan has served the United
Nations at a critical point.
I
am delighted on this occasion to warmly welcome Tuvalu as the newest member of
the UN.
Mr. President,
Just
ten days back, almost 150 Heads of State and Government assembled here for the
Millennium Summit. Their assembly in such large numbers was as unique as was
the occasion. The Millennium Declaration, that was then adopted, encapsulates a
shared vision: that the international community work together in constructive
cooperation to meet collective challenges, within the framework of the United
Nations. It was in this spirit that my Prime Minister spoke, as did many
others, of the need for the United Nations to truly reflect the world of the 21st
century, to make it an effective instrument to translate our vision into
reality. The United Nations is the house we all share. We must strengthen it,
and ensure that it is equal to our collective expectations as also our joint
aspirations.
Peace,
collective security and development inspire the spirit of the United Nations.
We enter the 21st century with extraordinary collective intellectual
and technical capabilities. These are our global tools for overcoming the
challenges before us. Peace and security for all is not just possible but is
well within our grasp. Stability and development are the essential building
blocks for the maintenance of peace and security. Threat to peace can and does
arise from different sources. It is not just weapons of mass destruction, or an
arms race that endanger peace but also dehumanizing poverty and lack of
development.
We
must act, as confident nation states, committed to collective action and
international cooperation, for they are our effort multipliers of peace and
progress. We must reaffirm the principle of respect for state sovereignty and
non-interference in internal affairs of countries. Thus, self evidently, we
must abjure unilateral action. Whenever circumstances warrant action by the
Security Council, that must be firmly rooted in the Charter provisions.
The
Brahimi panel’s report contains a number of proposals. We recommend that the
General Assembly examine this important report carefully and take appropriate
decisions to strengthen this vital UN function of peacekeeping.
We
support the Middle East Peace Process and find the trend encouraging. The
historic Summit between the Republic of Korea and DPR Korea too, augurs well for peace in the Korean
peninsula.
Mr. President,
Disarmament,
and global nuclear disarmament in particular, is essential to engender a
greater sense of security among Member States. India has been, and will
continue to be, in the forefront of efforts towards global nuclear disarmament
and genuine non-proliferation. We welcome the recommendation of the Secretary
General in his report on the Millennium Summit to convene an international
conference on Eliminating Nuclear Danger. We urge commencement on negotiations
on a Nuclear Weapons Convention to bring about a nuclear-weapon-free
world. India remains ready to
participate in agreed and irreversible steps such as de-alerting of nuclear
forces, thus lowering nuclear danger through accidental use or otherwise; also,
a global agreement on no-first-use and on non-use of nuclear weapons against
non-nuclear weapon states.
Mr. President,
The
situation with regard to the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test
Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the lack of progress, on a Programme of Work at the
Conference on Disarmament, in Geneva, shows the importance of building a
consensus, both within and amongst nations, on issues that affect national and
international security. We are conscious that 155 countries are, at present,
signatories to the CTBT. We would like to reiterate to them our continuing
commitment that India does not wish to stand in the way of entry into force of
the CTBT. India volunteered, and continues to observe a
moratorium on further explosive nuclear testing. This meets the basic
obligation of the CTBT. India also remains ready to engage in meaningful
negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament, including on a global treaty to
ban the future production of fissile material for weapons purposes.
Mr. President,
Illicit transfer, manufacture and
circulation of small arms, particularly by States to non-State actors and to
terrorist groups, and their intrinsic linkage with terrorism and
narco-trafficking are matters of very deep concern to the world community. When
this is combined with religious fanaticism and military adventurism, a threat
is posed to global civilized norms, which we strive for. The international
community can no longer afford to permit these purveyors of death, outrage and
destruction to continue to inflict untold suffering upon innocents. We look
forward to a successful outcome of the International Conference on Illicit
Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, in all its aspects, next year.
Mr. President,
Terrorism
is the global menace of our age. For some, it tends to replace ideology and
policy. India has been the object of
state-sponsored, cross-border terrorism, in its most inhuman manifestations,
for more than a decade. Even as the international community works together to
curb, control and stamp out illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, we
need to continually focus our attention on the users of such weapons: the
terrorists. Terrorism is an assault on human decency, a violation of the basic
precepts of democracy and the very antithesis of what the United Nations
represents and stands for. Because its
principal targets are the innocent, it is indeed the most flagrant violation of
basic human rights: it constitutes a crime against humanity. It is also a threat to international peace
and security, especially when terrorists are armed, financed and backed by
governments or their agencies. I urge all members to work to strengthen the
international consensus and legal regimes against terrorism. We have proposed
the draft of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. I urge all members of the United Nations to
give their total support to this initiative.
Mr.
President, let me now dwell, briefly, on the instrument of our choice to
accomplish our global agenda: the United Nations. There is but one United
Nations, none replicate it, nor can any replace it.
The membership of the United Nations
has increased manifold in the last half century, and today stands at 189. Yet,
the Security Council continues to have the same basic structure as in the
colonized world of 1945. The need for
expansion of the membership of the Security Council, in both permanent and
non-permanent categories, is self-evident. The impact of actions of the
Security Council is felt, with near total exclusivity, by the developing
countries. Yet they have little influence in its decision-making. We have a
global consensus that the form taken by the Security Council in the aftermath
of the Second World War is out-moded and that it must reflect the logic of an
enlarged membership. More than one hundred and fifty states have, at the
Millennium Summit, at the highest level endorsed the need for a Council
reformed in its representation. An
unrepresentative Security Council will lack the range and depth of sensitivity,
perceptiveness and understanding of the realities that it will have to deal
with, or the moral authority to take such decisions. I would like to reaffirm
India’s willingness to take on the responsibilities of permanent membership.
The General Assembly is the most
important organ of the United Nations.
It is here that all States, irrespective of considerations of strength,
economy or size sit together as equals, embodying the democratic principle of
sovereign equality. There is a growing feeling among Member States that the
functioning and role of the General Assembly has to be made more
effective. As the revolutions of the
digital age reduce distance to the click of a mouse, bringing us together into
a new global neighbourhood, as never
before in history, and as forces of globalisation inexorably lead us to
increasing interdependence, our canvas of international cooperation and
collective action has rapidly expanded. It has also become so much more
complex. The General Assembly has,
therefore, to be central in accepting this new responsibility, this new
challenge.
Even
as we seek to strengthen democratic principles and practices in the United
Nations, and even as the spreading sweep of democracy casts aside dictatorships
and authoritarian regimes, we have, unfortunately, witnessed some instances of
regression too. Such acts move against
the currents of our times. The international community should oppose these
assaults on the spirit of our times and uncompromisingly support and strengthen
democratic impulses, practices and norms. It should show its solidarity with
the people of such countries. The OAU and the Commonwealth deserve our
commendation for the steps that they have taken in this regard.
Developments
in Fiji since May 19 this year have caused us deep concern. We appreciate the
action taken by the Commonwealth after the overthrow of the constitutionally
elected democratic government. We hope that Fiji will return immediately to the
constitutional base of 1997 and restore at the earliest, rule of law, by
putting an end to racial discrimination. This is in Fiji’s own long term
interest. We hope that the
international community will exercise its collective authority and influence to
bring Fiji back to the road of democracy and the rule of law.
Mr. President,
It
appears that, sadly, the world has
forgotten Afghanistan. The fratricidal conflict in that country continues on
account of the Taliban’s pursuit of the mirage of military success. It also
continues because of outside support, military and financial, to the Taliban.
This conflict and the Taliban’s mediaeval obscurantist ideologies continue to
cause untold suffering to the Afghan people.
This impacts adversely on the peace and security of the entire neighbourhood,
from West to Central Asia to South Asia. The negatives that emanate from the
Taliban controlled areas of Afghanistan, in the shape of terrorism, drug
trafficking and the flow of arms, cause justifiable concern all over the
world. The Taliban and their mentor
must heed the world’s demands and abandon the path of conflict. We stand for a
comprehensive settlement in Afghanistan that restores peace at the earliest and
ensures the interests and aspirations of all sections of that society.
We
have consistently called upon the United Nations to increase its development
orientation and engagement, which is a core responsibility. We welcome and
support the declaration of the Secretary General, last week, to the UNDP
Ministerial Meeting, that deficit in development will put in jeopardy all other
goals of the United Nations. To address the root causes of poverty
meaningfully, we need firm international commitments to re-order and reshape
international relations in consequence providing for equitable opportunities to
developing countries for resource earnings.
Our call is even more relevant in today’s fast integrating world.
Developing
countries and their people cannot thrive on a diet of advice and goodwill
alone. We hope, therefore, that the forthcoming Conference on Financing for
Development would endorse concrete initiatives for mobilization of the required
external resources for development, whether from trade or concessional flows
and treat this as a shared global goal. In this context, it would be useful to
establish the difference that would be made if there was universal adherence to
the agreed ODA target of 0.7% of GNP, within a specified time frame.
Nowhere
is this more important than in the continent of Africa. Africa’s efforts need
to be adequately supported by the international community. We believe that
issues relating to the development of African countries must remain at the
forefront of the work of the General Assembly.
Mr. President,
The
process of globalization, with revolutionary leaps in communications and the
great advance in information technology and, increased mobility of capital,
trade and technology has produced new potential for sustained economic
growth. The benefits of globalisation
have, however, not percolated to the vast sections who live mired in poverty, without
shelter, in hunger and in deprivation.
Globalization has often been accompanied by enhanced poverty,
unemployment and consequent social disintegration. This poses a major challenge. We have to determine an
inclusive concept of growth and development. We have to strive for the upliftment of the
people, in the largest sense, and not simply in terms of sectoral advances.
While GDP growth rates and selective indicators may point to growth in an
economy, the elimination of poverty and enhancement of the quality of life and
creation of real choices must be
integral to the process of assessing the success of development efforts.
In
India, we have formulated development strategies on the premise that economic
and social policies must subserve the primacy of the human being, and in
particular, the poorest. Market forces and growth alone are not the answer.
Intervention to guarantee social justice is crucial. Development based on uneven rewards will not be supported by
those who are not its beneficiaries. It places great stress on the social
fabric. The fullest possible participation of the people in the development
process is the best guarantee for the success of any growth strategy.
Many
challenges lie ahead of us. Impediments
to sustained economic growth of developing countries abound. Protectionist
tendencies in developed countries, a lack of political will to implement
commitments undertaken regarding development finance, tardy amelioration of the
debt burden of developing countries aggravate the situation. Special and
differential treatment for developing countries guaranteed under WTO provisions
must be translated into operational reality. Developed countries should not
seek to restrict market access to goods and services and free movement of natural
persons, especially at a time when developing countries are being asked to open
up their economies and compete in the international economic domain.
Another
challenge relates to reconciling the needs of economic and industrial growth
with the need for preservation and protection of environment. A safe and healthy environment for our
peoples is an imperative. At the same time, all development cannot be
sacrificed at the absolutist altar of environmental preservation.
Sustainability of growth strategy and environmental conservation, cannot and
should not imply sustenance of poverty.
Developing
countries have done commendable work in the implementation of Agenda 21, under
an exceptionally difficult global environment. The promised resources from
developed countries have failed to materialise. The transfer of technologies on
preferential and concessional terms has not been forthcoming. Indeed, impediments are placed on technology
transfers even on commercial terms. The Special Session of the UN General
Assembly on review and appraisal of the Implementation of Agenda 21 in 2002
should concentrate on finding solutions in addressing the unfulfilled
commitments and to give reality and operational content to the declaration that
"eradication of poverty is the overriding priority of developing
countries”.
Mr. President,
Children
and issues relating to them are a priority. We hope that the special session of
the General Assembly next year would concentrate on the implementation of the
Declaration of the World Summit on Children.
Mr. President,
Advancement
of the democratic spirit and overcoming challenges to it, growth with equity,
economic development with social justice and, as the prize which we seek, the
creation of a world where injustice and deprivation give way to fulfillment and
welfare for all, are among the goals that we should set for ourselves at the
dawn of this new century. The challenge is nothing less than collective
enlightened global ownership.
The
General Assembly will once again have a heavy and challenging agenda before it
on this long road before us. Let us wish ourselves success in our endeavours.