External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has arrived here to attend the 60th Asian African Conference Commemoration.
The 10th anniversary of the New Asian African Partnership is taking place in the year 2015 in which various streams of the global discourse are gathering pace to culminate in four key events - COP21 on Climate Change in Paris, Summit to finalize Post-2015 Development Agenda, 70th Anniversary of the UN and the 10th WTO Ministerial in Kenya - each one of which will have far-reaching political and economic ramifications.
There are significant transitions and developments taking place in Asia, Europe and the Middle East with regional and global implications.
On Monday, India, represented by its Minister of State, Gen. (retired) V.K. Singh, said every country had faced the scourge of terrorism, and therefore, the time was ripe to use the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the New Asian African Partnership to send out a strong message to the world of the shared will and capacities to contribute to global peace, stability and sustainable development with the United Nations playing a central role in dealing with global challenges and threats.
India said that the year 2015 marks the 70th year of the foundation of the United Nations and added that it saw the tenth anniversary of the World Summit as a unique opportunity to demonstrate collective will to reform the UN which is the global institution for political governance.
It highlighted the failure to push for any kind of outcomes, saying this only added to the increasing sentiment of frustration amongst the wider membership, besides denting the credibility of the Security Council's decisions.
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It lamented the fact that the world body continues to ignore the contemporary realities of the 21st century.
"We also have a crucial stake in a rule based multilateral trading system and in an early conclusion of a balanced and fair agreement in the Doha round in the WTO. The mandate of the Doha Round is clear and development needs to be at the forefront of any outcome. There is need for the developing countries to work together to ensure that the Work Programme is in keeping with the Doha development mandate, said Minister of State Gen. (retired) V. K Singh
He further stated, "Today, we are standing at cross roads, enjoying the fruits of industrialisation and technology, but are also exposed to new challenges arising out of it."
"Climate Change, a cross cutting issue is one among them, directly affecting the lives of people and nations. It is important for the international community led by the developed countries to take urgent ambitious actions to address climate change and its adverse impacts. Developing countries should work together for a comprehensive, balanced and equitable agreement for the post 2020 period, in accordance with the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities," he added.
Gen. (retired) Singh said that the "population clock keeps ticking reminding us of the responsibility to ensure sustainable and holistic development for all our people. This can only be achieved through providing access to affordable energy, housing, healthcare, basic services, education and decent employment and an enabling environment that bridges infrastructure gaps and leads to poverty reduction, economic growth and sustainable development pathways."
India, he said, was all for a universal development agenda where developed country partners accept their obligations.
"It is our hope that our partners will help us in establishing a supportive international environment to pursue the goals of inclusive and sustainable development. At the same time, a critical aspect would be to ensure that the developing countries are assisted in this huge task with adequate financial and other necessary means. When we talk of development, we cannot ignore terrorism which is plaguing the entire world and puts a heavy burden on our efforts for peace and development. India is committed to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations in a composite form. India would be willing to engage with other countries both bilaterally and through multilateral arrangements to combat terrorism, " he said.
India, he said, has always stood for South-South solidarity.
"Cooperation with other developing countries has been a central tenet of independent India's foreign policy from the very start. Our vision that we in India should share our developmental experiences with other countries traversing the same path was the inspiration for our technical and economic cooperation programme, ITEC, which was launched in 1964. India partners with almost all countries present here through its ITEC programme sharing experience for human resource development, skill development, deployment of experts. Our two continents are connected by the oceans. The Indian Ocean presents a number of opportunities for our close cooperation for overall development and also poses some challenges including those flowing from piracy at sea. Through our collaborative efforts we can not only tap the opportunities the Indian Ocean presents but also address the challenges it throws in our way," Gen (retired) Singh said.