At the outset, I would like
to congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President
of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session.
It is a truly a great honour for me to address the
Assembly for the first time as Prime Minister of India.
I am humbled by the hopes and expectations of the
people of India. I am also mindful of the expectations
of the world from our 1.25 billion people.
My country, India, is home to one sixth of
the world’s population. It is a nation experiencing
economic and social transformation on a scale rarely
seen in the history of the world. Every country’s world
view is shaped by its civilization and its philosophical
traditions. India’s ancient wisdom sees the world as one
family, and when I say this, I wish to make it clear that
each country has its philosophy. I am not talking about
ideology. With the inspiration of that philosophy, a
country marches ahead. India is a country that since its
Vedic times, has been saying that the world, the entire
globe, is a family. India is a country where, beyond
nature, we have a communication, a dialogue, with
nature. We never struggle with nature. That is a part
of Indian life. The reason is that with that philosophy,
India has been moving forward. Each country and each
nation is shaped by its civilization and its philosophical
tradition. India’s ancient wisdom, as I have said, sees
the world as one family. India is a country that not only
speaks for itself but for worldwide justice, dignity,
opportunity and prosperity. We have always spoken out
in support of such issues.
Owing to our ideology, we have a firm belief in
multilateralism. Today, as I stand here, I am equally
aware of the hopes and expectations that are pinned on
the General Assembly. I am struck by the sacred belief
that brought us together. We established the Organization
on the basis of great principles and perspectives, in the
belief that if our futures are connected, we will have to
work together for peace and security, for human rights
and for the economic development of all. We must work
together to those ends. At that time, there were only
51 countries. Today, 193 sovereign flags fly in front of
this building. Each new country enters on the basis of
the same belief and expectation.
In the past six decades, we have been able to achieve
a great deal. We have ended many wars. We have
established and maintained peace. We have assisted
economic development in many places. We have helped
to build a future for poor children. We have contributed
towards the elimination of starvation and strived to
save our planet. The 69 United Nations peacekeeping
missions have made the Blue Helmet a symbol of peace
in the world.
Today, there is a surge of democracy across the
world. The peaceful democratic transformation in
Afghanistan shows that the Afghan people’s aspiration
for peace will definitely triumph over violence. We
have seen Nepal emerge from war towards peace and
democracy. Bhutan’s young democracy is flourishing.
There are also efforts towards democracy in West Asia
and North Africa. Tunisia’s success shows that such a
path of democracy is possible. In Africa, there is a new
momentum for stability, peace and progress, and a new
awareness is on the horizon.
We have seen unprecedented prosperity in Asia and
beyond founded on strengthened peace and stability.
Latin America, a continent of enormous potential, is
coming together in the shared pursuit of stability and
prosperity. That continent may prove to be an important
anchor for the global community. India looks forward to
a peaceful and stable environment for its development.
Our future is linked to our neighbourhood. That is why,
from the very first day, my Government gave the highest
priority to promoting friendship and cooperation with
our neighbouring countries.
I have the same policy towards Pakistan. I want
to hold serious bilateral talks with Pakistan in order
to improve friendship and cooperation in a peaceful
atmosphere, without the shadow of terrorism. I want
to hold bilateral talks with that country. However, it
is also Pakistan’s responsibility to come forward and
to genuinely establish the appropriate atmosphere for
bilateral talks. In raising that issue in this forum, I do
not know how successful our efforts will be. Some
people are doubtful.
Today, we need to assist the victims of the floods
in Kashmir. In India, we have organized large-scale
assistance. We have not stopped at only India helping
Kashmir. We have also asked Pakistan to assist, since
that area was also affected by the floods. We have told
Pakistan that just as we were helping the flood victims
in India, we would also like to help those in Pakistan.
We have proposed that. We are a part of the developing
world but have limited resources. We would like to
share our modest resources with all those who are in
dire need of assistance.
Today, the world is witnessing a high level of
tension and turmoil. There are no major wars, but
tension and conflict abound. There is an absence of
peace and uncertainty about the future. Even today,
there is rampant poverty everywhere. The Asia-Pacific
region, which is integrating, is still concerned about
maritime security. That is fundamental to its future.
Europe faces a new threat of division. In West Asia,
the dividing lines and terrorism are increasing. In our
own region, we are still struggling to combat terrorism
and instability. For the past four decades, we have faced
such a threat.
Terrorism emerges in new forms and under new
names. Be it small or large, in the North, the South,
the East or the West, no country is free from threats.
I remember when I met with world leaders 20 years
ago, and we talked about terrorism. They did not quite
understand it and stated that it was a law-and-order
problem. Today, the entire world is witness to the slow
spread of terrorism far and wide.
Are we really making integrated efforts at the
international level to fight against those powerful
groups? I know that terrorism is a very serious problem
for discussion. Even today, some countries are giving
refuge to international terrorists, and they consider
terrorism a tool of their policy. Good terrorism and bad
terrorism — that is what we hear these days. At this
time, there is a question mark regarding our struggle to
fight against terrorism. The brutal return of terrorism
in West Asia and its impact on countries far and near
has elicited a concerted effort, which we welcome.
However, the effort should involve all the countries of
the region. If we want to overcome terrorism, then they
must all contribute towards its eradication. We strongly
emphasize this.
Oceans, seas, space and cyberspace, besides
contributing to our common wealth and prosperity, are
becoming new theatres of conflict. In the same oceans
that used to connect us, we are today hearing news of
disputes. We once saw space as holding out potential
for our achievements. Today, in cyberspace, which
connects us in important areas, new dangers are being
seen. International harmony and cooperation — on
which the United Nations was founded — are needed
now more than ever before. Today, we talk about an
interdependent world, but have we become more united
as nations? We need to think about that.
Why, when we have a good forum like the United
Nations, do we keep creating so many different groups?
There is the Group of Four, the Group of Seven and
the Group of 20 — and the numbers keep changing.
Whether or not we really want to do so, we, including
India, become members of them. Is it not the time to
move on and leave behind those groups? When the
United Nations celebrates its seventieth anniversary,
how do we create a Group-of-All atmosphere? How can
the General Assembly create an opportunity to solve
all our problems? How can people begin to be more
trustful? How can we become less competitive? We talk
about unity, but then we divide the whole into different
parts and pieces. Can we prevent ourselves from doing
so?
On the one hand, we say that our policies are
interconnected; on the other, we think in terms of
zero-sum gains. We think that if the other benefits, I
stand to lose. Who receives the benefit and who suffers
the loss? That is what we appear to be weighing. The
pessimists are cynical. Like them, we are inclined to
say nothing will change. It is easy to be cynical and
to say nothing will change. But if we do that, we run
the risk of shirking our responsibilities and putting our
collective future in danger.
We must unite and prepare to meet the needs of our
times. We must really work for global peace. No one
country or group of countries can determine the course
of the world or its policies. It is imperative to have
genuine international participation and partnership. We
should try to promote positive dialogue and cooperation
among countries. Our efforts must begin at the United
Nations.
It is important that we improve the Security Council
by making it more democratic and participative.
Institutions that reflect the imperatives of the twentieth
century will not be effective in the twenty-first century.
They face the risk of irrelevance. I would like to
emphasize that the policies and rules we made in the
twentieth century may no longer be applicable. The
speed of change is very fast. It is therefore essential
that, in tune with the times, we adapt and reformulate,
making the necessary changes and introducing new
ideas. Only when we have done that will we be relevant.
We should set aside all our differences and mount
a concerted international effort to combat terrorism
and extremism. Towards that end, we should adopt a
comprehensive convention on international terrorism.
That is something which is long overdue. It must be
emphasized that our combined strength to fight against
terrorism should be reflected in the convention. Our
country, which has endured so many terrorist attacks,
knows that, so long as the United Nations fails to take
the initiative in that effort, and so long as we do not
adopt a convention, we cannot be successful. In such
work, we must not forget to make provision for peace,
stability and order in outer space and cyberspace. We
must work together to ensure that all countries observe
international rules and norms.
We must include the host countries and troop-
contributing countries in our decision-making on
United Nations peacekeeping. If they are included, their
confidence will increase considerably. They are ready
to make major sacrifices and to give their time and
energy. But if they are excluded from decision-making,
then how can United Nations peacekeeping become
more vital and urgent? We need to seriously consider
that. Today, let us redouble our efforts in pursuit of
global disarmament. Let us also spare no effort to
ensure that we work tirelessly towards those goals.
Globalization has created new industries and
sources of employment. At the same time, billions live
in the shadow of poverty. A great many countries are
suffering economic deprivation, barely keeping their
heads above water. What seems so difficult today was
never so difficult in the past. Technology has made many
things possible. Reduction in the cost of technology has
made it more widely available. If we think of the speed
with which Facebook or Twitter have spread around the
world and cell-phone use has proliferated, then we must
also believe that development and empowerment can
spread with the same speed.
It is up to each country to make its own efforts
at the national level. Each Government must fulfil its
responsibilities. International participation is also very
important. At one level, it requires better coordination
of policy, so that our efforts become mutually
supportive, not mutually damaging. It also means that,
when we craft agreements on international trade, we
accommodate one another’s concerns and interests.
Let us think about the scale of the need. Today,
basic sanitation is out of the reach of 2.5 billion people;
1.3 billion have no access to electricity and 1.1 billion
no access to drinking water. That makes it clear that
more comprehensive and concerted international action
is required. We cannot keep waiting for economic
development. In India, the most important aspects of
my development agenda are focused precisely on those
very issues, which should also be at the core of the post-
2015 development agenda, as they deserve our utmost
attention.
A world that is more habitable and sustainable is an
objective we must work towards. There has been much
debate and much written about that, but it takes only a
brief glance around our countries to become concerned.
We are very concerned indeed about issues relating to
forests, wildlife, birds, rivers, water sources and the
blue sky above.
I would like to address three points. First, if we
are to meet all of the challenges, we must fully uphold
our responsibilities. The global community has
agreed to work together on the basis of common but
differentiated responsibility. That must continue to be
the foundation of future action. That also means that
developed countries must fulfil their commitments in
terms of funding and technology transfer.
Secondly, national action is imperative. Technology
has made many things possible, such as renewable
energy. We need imagination and commitment. India
stands ready to share its technology and capabilities, as
for example through the recently announced free access
to a satellite.
Thirdly, we need to change our lifestyles. Avoiding
energy use is the cleanest option and would give a
new direction to our economy. For us in India, respect
for nature is fundamental and an integral part of
spiritualism. It is part of our ideology.
I would like to draw the Assembly’s attention to
another idea. When we talk of climate change, we are
also talking about holistic health care, connecting with
nature and going back to basics. Today, I would like
to underscore that yoga is an invaluable gift from our
ancient tradition. Yoga embodies unity of mind and
body, thought and action. It is important to coordinate
all of those aspects. Such a holistic approach is valuable
to our health and our well-being. Yoga is not just about
exercise; it is a way to discover the sense of oneness
with yourself, the world and nature. By changing our
lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can also help us
deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting
an international yoga day.
Finally, we are at a historic moment. Every age is
defined by its character and remembered for how it
rose to meet its challenges. Today, we are responsible
to rise and meet those challenges. Next year, the United
Nations will be 70 years old. We should ask ourselves
whether we should wait until we are 80 or 100 years
old to take action. I believe that next year will provide
an opportunity for the United Nations. After a voyage
spanning 70 years, we shall be able to look back and
review what we have achieved, whence we began,
why we left certain places, what motivated us, how
we proceeded and what we have attained. What are
the challenges facing us in the twenty-first century? If
we can keep all of that in mind, through exchanges of
views, dialogue with universities, and intergenerational
discussions with young people, who can contribute
ideas, then we will find the ways to connect all of those
things for future generations.
That is why I say that arriving at the milestone
of 70 years presents us with a great opportunity that
we should not waste. By taking full advantage of this
moment, we could achieve a new consciousness, a new
life, with new ambitions and aspirations. We could
give the journey of the United Nations a new form. I
therefore feel that 70 years is a great opportunity for
us. Let us come together and fulfil our promise to bring
improvements to the Security Council. That issue has
been before us for a long time, yet there has not been
much progress. We need to think very seriously about
it.
In preparing and implementing the post-2015
development agenda, let us come together to keep our
promises. For 2015, let us come together to give a new
direction and make the moment memorable by giving
the world a new lease on development. The year 2015
should be a banner year in history — a turning point
in history. I hope that we will all live up to its promise.