'Peace, security cannot be seen in isolation from development'

India has said that peace and security cannot be seen in isolation from the wider development related issues as it underlined the need for a holistic approach to building peace and preventing conflict.
Participating in the UN Security Council debate on 'Peacebuilding in Africa' yesterday, India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Tanmaya Lal said holistic approach was needed to prevent conflict and build peace.
"Peace and security cannot be seen in isolation from the wider development related issues and a more holistic approach is needed to prevent conflict and build peace," he said here.
Lal said that the spirit displayed during the adoption of the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals last year is "sadly" not matched in the discussions on collective resource mobilisation to achieve common goals.

"This once again betrays a lack of appreciation that in today's world there cannot be islands of peace and prosperity. We can see this all around us in the cross-border reach of terrorist groups, the growing refugee crisis, outbreaks of pandemics and spread of hate ideologies," he said.
"What continues to elude us is the real comprehension of the importance of sustainable development to building peace and security and even more importantly the indivisibility of peace and security across borders in today's world. Unless there is this comprehension and consequently the political will to address these issues over longer term, conflicts would continue to obstruct our collective better future," he said.

Underscoring India's longstanding engagement with Africa, Lal said the two nations had worked together for de-colonialisation, anti-apartheid, rights of the developing countries and now are significant development partners.

He outlined the areas of cooperation between India and Africa, including in education and vocational training, healthcare, women empowerment, constitutional and parliamentary processes and agribusinesses.
The first ever Female Formed Police Unit provided by India and deployed in Liberia received recognition as role model for pursuing gender balance, Lal said.
Earlier this week, a course on UN Peacekeeping for African partners, commenced in India in cooperation with the US government and is aimed to assist in building capacities in African Troop Contributing Countries to help the regional efforts to maintain peace and security.

Lal said while the African Union, the regional organisations and national governments in Africa are best placed to address most of the challenges facing their region, it is the responsibility of the international community to strengthen their capabilities.
He lamented that the Peacebuilding Commission was not taken seriously enough so far at the UN, with its funding "completely inadequate" and not even one per cent of the peacekeeping budget.
"We need to empower the Peacebuilding Commission through adequate resources, capacities to gauge the requirements on the ground, and a serious consideration to its advice by the Council," he said.
Last week, India made a contribution of a million dollars to the Peacebuilding Fund.