STATEMENT BY HON’BLE MR. RATILAL KALIDAS VARMA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT AND MEMBER OF THE INDIAN DELEGATION AT THE  2005 UNITED NATIONS PLEDGING CONFERENCE FOR DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES AT THE 60TH SESSION

OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON NOVEMBER 11, 2005

Mr. President,

We thank the Secretariat for the documentation prepared for this 2005 United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities.

India is convinced of the necessity to accord the highest importance to the development agenda of the United Nations. Along with other developing countries, India believes that the development agenda represents a shared global commitment to poverty alleviation transcending national borders. The development activities of the UN system are seen as the public face of the UN by those outside in the real world. We are convinced that participation in this Pledging Conference is a demonstration of a Member State’s continued faith in the development agenda of the United Nations.

India\'s voluntary contributions to the Funds and Programmes of the UN system are proof of its commitment to multilateralism and to international solidarity in the process of development and poverty eradication. The United Nations Special Fund was established in 1958. For its first five years, India\'s financial contributions amounted to more than one-third of the total contributions of all developing countries. Since then, our contributions, even though modest, have been the largest from the South and at times larger than those of several OECD countries.

Mr. President,

I have the honour to announce India\'s pledges of contributions for operational activities for development of the UN system for the year 2006. These are as follows:

Thank you, Mr. President