Thank you Mr. President,

We join other delegates in congratulating you and members of the Bureau on assumption of charge of the Second Committee. We would also like to thank the Indonesian delegation for being chair of the committee in the last session. 

Today is the International Day of Non-Violence. On behalf of the Indian delegation, I express condolence to the lives lost in Las Vegas violence yesterday. 

India associates itself with the statement delivered by the distinguished delegate of Ecuador on behalf of the Group of 77 and we would like to add some additional points in our national capacity.

Before proceeding further, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the keynote Speaker Professor Arvind Panagariya, a renowned global economist and author, for his profound address. As many of you are aware, Professor Panagariya until recently served as the Vice Chairperson of National Institution for Transforming India and had presented India's VNR in July this year here at the UN.   

Mr. President,

We have embarked on the journey towards achievement of Agenda 2030 adopted two years ago. In the past year, we crossed some of the initial milestones on the path charted for the implementation of SDGs. This year 43 countries, including my country, reiterated their commitment to achieving these goals in their presentation of the Voluntary National Review on Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals during the High Level Political Forum.  

During the HLPF, we also witnessed the in-depth review of goals on Poverty Eradication, Food Security, Health and Well being, Gender Equality, Industry-Innovation-Infrastructure, Life below water and Global Partnership.  

In addition, Ocean Conference, the first UN conference on this issue of Sustainable Oceans and Life below Water, created a momentum to forge new partnerships. India was represented at the Ministerial level along with a delegation of experts on various sectors concerning Sustainable Oceans and Blue Economy; we also made voluntary commitments in this regard. 

Going forward, in addition to continuation of VNR of many other member states, we would need to utilize the opportunity provided by adoption of the Global Indicator Framework for measurement and reporting on the global progress made.  India, as a member of the Inter Agency Expert Group (IAEG) on SDG Indicators and has played an important role in evolution of the Indicators' framework with the possibility of annual refinement of indicators. 

Mr. President, 

Over the past few weeks we have witnessed a series of natural disasters, hurricanes after hurricanes battering Caribbean and parts of United States on one hand, to the earthquake in parts of Mexico on the other. The damage has been devastating. Our thoughts are with the people who have suffered these disasters. India has announced its contribution for relief and rehabilitation efforts in the spirit of solidarity to the affected people. 

While the hurricanes have brought the focus back on anthropogenic factors of climate change, these crises have highlighted the need for the attention on the resilience of communities and the Disaster Risk Reduction. 

To facilitate early entry into force of the Paris Agreement under the UN Convention, India deposited its Instrument of Ratification last year. This year we deposited the instrument of acceptance of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol. As a part of our Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) we have begun to move forward on the road to climate action. India will reduce its emissions intensity by 35%, build 40% capacity of power generation from Non Fossil fuels, create additional carbon sink of 2.5 billion tonnes through various policies of afforestation by 2030. 

India is taking bold and ambitious action towards renewable energy transition. In order to create global momentum on climate action we have taken the initiative to launch the International Solar Alliance that seeks to bring together partner countries to mobilise large scale funding by reducing cost of funding for solar energy and promoting R&D in solar technologies. 40 countries have already joined the Alliance and a Solar Summit is being organised in India in December this year. 

In India, the Disaster Management Act was enacted in 2005 and in our 12th Five Year Plan national document we have earmarked 10 percent of development funds towards innovation, disaster mitigation and restoration. India remains committed to fully embracing the Sendai Framework and Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi in June this year released the National Disaster Management Plan. India in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) hosted the biennial Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction Titled 'Risk Sensitive Development for Community Resilience' in New Delhi in November 2016. 

 Mr. President,  

Humankind has come a long way in the quest for knowledge, science and technology. The global economy has witnessed unprecedented levels of economic growth and technological advancements. The last century, in particular, has transformed the social and economic lives of millions across the globe. Yet, about 800 million people still live in extreme poverty and an equal number continue to suffer from hunger. The benefits of development are not equally shared. 

Mahatma Gandhi once said 'Poverty is the worst form of violence.' It is not very difficult to see this in reality in some of the vulnerable countries and regions of the world.  

Keeping the unrelenting focus on the goal of poverty eradication, in the last session, in second committee we adopted the QCPR resolution giving strategic directions to the UN development system (UNDS), with the prime aim of achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this regard, we are constructively engaged with the Secretary General's proposal for reform of the UNDS, in order to effectively deliver on the 2030 Agenda.  

We have to ensure that resources meant for development programmes are not diverted to other efforts; else it will have a deleterious affect on the development agenda of the developing countries, in particular Least Developed Countries (LDCc), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDSs). 

India is actively engaged with the preparatory process of Global Compact on Migration and we look forward to an outcome which strengthens International Migration's link with sustainable development.  

Mr. President, 

India's national policies are in synergy with the SDGs in focusing on poverty eradication, healthcare, education, gender, skills and employment, energy and infrastructure development, among others. Some of the flagship schemes, like 'cash benefit transfer' scheme Jan Dhan Yojna' clubbed with biometric-based Unique ID Cards Aadhar, 'has enabled opening up of over 300 million additional bank accounts contributing to efficient and transparent delivery of services.  Towards financial inclusion, 'Mudra', scheme has ensured access to bank credit to the poor; under Ujjwala scheme, subsidized cooking gas is being provided to all. Along with these, initiatives like 'Beti Bachao - Beti Padhao - Celebrating Girl Child and enabling her Education' and the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan - Clean India Mission' have factored in effective social protection floor along with environmentally friendly development.   

Global partnership as agreed in Goal 17 would be crucial for meeting the challenges of developing countries. In this regards, India continues to expand its development partnership over a wide range of sectors for capacity building with fellow developing countries across continents, especially with those in more vulnerable situations in the spirit of south-south solidarity. In June this year, we established India-UN Development Partnership Fund with an aim to enhance our contribution to the South-South Cooperation, as a means to achieve the Agenda 2030 of Sustainable Development.  

Mr. President, 

Clearly a lot is riding on your shoulders in this session and we wish you all success in all your endeavours. You can count on the unstinted support of my delegation for the successful conduct of work of this Committee in the weeks ahead. 

I thank you.