24 September 2022
Excellencies,
Madame Deputy Secretary-General,
Ambassadors,
Friends,
Happy birthday, independent India.
Happy 75th diamond jubilee.
Not to mention the preceding quite a few thousand years of civilization that give so much to the human kind, and keeps inspiring us until today.
I sincerely commend the 1.3 billion Indians for the progress that has been made just in three generations time.
But I also commend them for their role in creating a better, brighter and more sustainable world.
Home to one-sixth of humanity, India’s leadership on global challenges and her strong voice in multilateral affairs have been exemplary.
Excellencies,
Dear Friends,
We have spent the past week unpacking many interlocking crises the world faces.
We are in the midst of hard and difficult times.
The times of paradigm shift echoes the transformation that we are all seeing have overstepped the limits of mere modification right now.
Sor far we have not been able to analyze all the symptoms of it. But we do already feel that the conditions of a global cooperation have changed.
We have entered a new era, a new chapter of history.
We live now in a new world.
A world of changing challenges, changing roles and changing ways.
One thing is sure, the Sustainable Development Goals will stay very high on our common agenda.
My aim is to move forward with them, to forge successful partnerships, to build bridges between siloed scientific and development agendas.
To form new education systems which merge technology with traditional knowledge.
To shape new economic models – to reap the benefits of these developmental agendas.
Dear Friends,
India was one of the first Member States to embrace UN Global Goals. And since then it has worked through its flagship programs at the local, subnational and national levels to implement the SDGs.
India is leading in the field of digital public infrastructure.
From building innovative governance systems to citizen-oriented services – the international community has much to learn from you.
The partnership between India and the United Nations to accelerate the partnership including in the remotest villages is very inspiring.
This partnership model can be adopted to be applied in other countries facing similar challenges.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Science and technology are key to transformation.
They are pillar principles of my Presidency, as well.
This 77th year of the GA is a time to foster truly sustainable relationship between high-tech and traditional forms of knowledge.
Transparent scientific indicators and partnerships between governments and science network are vital to sustainable development.
Solutions grounded in science, with solidarity at their core – it is my motto.
Dear Colleagues,
My hope for the 77th session is to be, in many ways, instrumental in shaping our future. Not less than shaping our future.
Significant events scheduled on the UN’s sustainable development calendar will take place throughout this year.
The upcoming SDG Summit will be one of the most pivotal events.
It will be the occasion to assess and discuss our progress – or, sadly, lack of progress – on the development goals.
More importantly however, it will be an opportunity to look for solutions to implement the change we want to see by 2030.
The High-level Meeting on Financing for Development will be a time to reflect on our economic approaches towards sustainability and development.
In our discussions, I challenge ourselves to rethink how we interpret growth. It should be anchored in solidarity and joint interest, rather than extraction, profit and selfishness.
We have to find the best method to harness the interest of civil society, the voices of youth, and the support of the private sector.
My presidency aims to help bridge the divide between the Global North and the Global South because true transformation will require true cooperation.
I am sure that today’s discussions on India’s partnership in different sectors, and the exchange of experiences, will be very useful and very influential to all of us.
Once again, I congratulate India on Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, her diamond jubilee. And I thank you.
