75^th Session of UNGA 44^th Annual Meeting of the

G-77 Foreign Ministers

“Global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the obstacles it poses to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and achievement of the SDGs” 

India Statement

 by

Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti, 

Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations

(for Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister)

12 November, 2020

President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana,

President of the General Assembly,

Distinguished Members of G-77, 

I bring with me good wishes from our External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.

At the outset, I would like to thank Guyana for the excellent leadership in steering the Group of 77 in a challenging year.  I also take this opportunity to congratulate the Republic of Guinea on being elected as the Chair of G-77 for the year 2021. 

The pandemic threatens to setback decades of progress made by developing countries and push millions back into poverty.  As G-77 countries, we cannot let this happen.  We need to raise our collective voice for recovery, resilience and reform to ensure that we go back to the path of development.

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement and Financing for Development framework should lay the foundations for our efforts.  We need to impress on our developed country partners to do more and show the necessary urgency.  COVID pandemic cannot be used as an excuse to not fulfill their commitments or to undermine environmental Conventions.  We call on them to undertake activities to strengthen “Convention-Plus” actions and not do “Convention-Minus”.  Such “Convention-Plus” examples include the International Solar Alliance spearheaded by Prime Minister Modi where India has pledged US$ 1.7 billion for solar energy projects, and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

We need affordable health systems and resilient supply chains.  India is assisting in urgent health and medical supplies to more than 150 countries.  We have pledged US$ 15 million for GAVI and operationalized the COVID-19 Emergency Fund for our neighbours with an initial contribution of US$ 10 million.  Prime Minister Modi has pledged that India, as the largest vaccine producing country, will make its production and delivery capacity available to the entire humanity. 

In a year where we are commemorating 75 years of the founding of the UN, the pandemic has laid bare the shortcomings of the UN and other multilateral institutions.  The call for reformed multilateralism, including reform of UN Security Council, has only become stronger than ever before.  

Further, the enormous power of digitization could well hold the key.  India’s own embrace of the digital revolution will be a model for the developing world in the global response to COVID.

Mr. President,

In our South-South cooperation, we have never let geography limit our approach to assist the developing world. India-CARICOM Leaders Meeting, India-Pacific Islands Summit, India-ASEAN Summits, India-Africa Forum Summits and other Summits have further strengthened the special bonding between India and fellow developing countries.

Mr. President,  

In India’s development cooperation, we will be guided by our partners’ development priorities.  Our assistance does not create indebtedness and is without conditionalities.   Our concessional Lines of Credit of over US$ 30 billion, our grants-in-aid projects, and our flagship training and capacity building project under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) have made a huge contribution to fellow developing countries. 

The US$ 150 million India-UN Development Partnership Fund continues to support transformational sustainable development projects with a focus on LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS.  

Mr. President, 

In the spirit of “World Is One Family”, India’s approach will be human-centric, based on principles of mutual respect and national ownership with a commitment to sustainable development for all.

To conclude, I would like to reiterate India’s steadfast commitment to work with our partners from the Global South in the G-77 towards a resilient and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and to build back better and stronger. 

Thank you.