No 'one size fits all' solution for social development, India tells UN

Nations have different types of responsibilities in reaching the common development goals in The Agenda 2030 adopted at the UN summit last month and there is no "one size fits all" solution, India's Deputy Permanent Representative Bhagwant Singh Bishnoi said here.

"There is no 'one size fits all' solution for social development at the national level, Bishnoi on Tuesday told the General Assembly committee that deals with social issues. "The Agenda 2030 has also well recognised the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in its implementation."

Agenda 2030 is a 17-point programme of goals like ending hunger, providing clean energy and sanitation for all, promoting international equality and ensuring gender equality before a 2030 deadline.

He pointed to the lack of finance in developing countries to achieve these ambitious goals and said international funding was necessary to fill the gap. He called upon developed nations to take the lead by providing official aid.

"With political resolve and selfless interest, the global community must transform itself into a resilient and sustainable society," he said.

Looking back at the track record of international development over the last 20 years since the first set of the ambitious development goals were set at the Copenhagen Summit in 1995, Bishnoi said the progress has been uneven.

Therefore, he declared, "we cannot afford but to make poverty eradication and social inclusion our top priorities in order to achieve sustainable development. We are, therefore, happy that poverty eradication has been placed at the heart of the Agenda 2030."

Social integration and inclusion were essential to overcome inequalities both within and between countries, he said. For this growth and development should be stimulated through non-discriminatory employment generation policies that provide decent work for all.

"Our approach to social integration over the past 70 years is based on ensuring social development is accessible to all sections of society," he added.

He outlined the various economic and social programmes started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and said: "In the last one and a half years the objective of government policies has been 'sab ka saath sab ka vikas' (together with all, development for all)."

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)