Page 2 - India And United Nations

India elected to UN's Economic and Social Council for 2026-28 term

India was on Wednesday elected to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations for the period from 2026-28. The council is at the heart of the UN's mechanism to advance the three dimensions of sustainable development -- economic, social and environmental. "India was elected to the Economic and Social Council for the term 2026-28 @UN today. Thank member states for their overwhelming support and reposing their trust in us. Appreciate the efforts of @IndiaUNNewYork," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on X. "India remains committed to championing development issues and keep working to strengthen the ECOSOC," he said. The ECOSOC is considered a key organ that plays an important role in recommending policies related to economic and social issues.

UN peacekeeping chief commends India's support for peacekeeping

India is a very important supporter of peacekeeping, including its support for various efforts such as its lead on efforts to ensure accountability for crimes against peacekeepers, the UN's top peacekeeping official has said. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix's comments came during a press briefing on Thursday on the occasion of International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. He had visited New Delhi to attend the first-ever Conference for Women Peacekeepers organised by India on February 24-25. Yes, I really wanted to go to New Delhi and to that conference, Lacroix said in response to a question by PTI about the conference and his assessment of it. First of all, because India is a very important troop and police contributing country. It's also a very important supporter of peacekeeping, beyond the important contribution of men and women from India, but also in terms of supporting various efforts. I'm thinking in particular, but there are many other

'Indian chai' served at UN event hosted by India for International Tea Day

The aromas and flavors of popular Indian teas permeated the halls of the United Nations headquarters as India hosted a special event to commemorate International Tea Day to highlight the beverage's contribution in empowering communities and fostering inclusive economic growth. The Permanent Mission of India to the UN hosted the high-level event Wednesday on the theme Tea for Livelihoods, Tea for SDGs' to mark the International Tea Day, a celebration of the world's most consumed drink, after water. The event concluded with a special curated tea tasting experience where guests enjoyed a variety of Indian teas, including the famous Darjeeling tea, Masala chai, Assam and Nilgiri teas. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, Director of the FAO UN Liaison Office in New York Angelica Jacome, and representatives of Kenya, Sri Lanka and China, the other major tea producing countries, spoke on the occasion and highlighted the challenges faced by the tea ...

At UN, India stresses maritime, anti-terror strategy for national security

India told the UN Security Council that it views maritime security and countering terrorism as central to its national security and economic interests as it continues to evolve its strategy in response to new threats and geopolitical shifts in the Indo-Pacific region. India, having a long coastline, extensive seafarer community, and capable maritime forces, is actively pursuing its role as a responsible maritime power to safeguard its interests and address emerging threats, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said Tuesday. He was addressing the UNSC high-level open debate on Maintenance of international peace and security: Strengthening Maritime Security through International Cooperation for Global Stability' presided over by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis under Greece's Presidency of the Council for the month of May. "India views maritime security and countering terrorism as central to its national security and economic interests. Its

India ramps up efforts for UN listing of LeT front TRF, meets top officials

An Indian delegation met top officials of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate here even as New Delhi stepped up efforts to designate The Resistance Front, an LeT proxy, as a UN-listed terror outfit. The Resistance Front (TRF), a front for Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. An Indian technical team, which is in New York, interacted today (Wednesday) with the Monitoring Team of the 1267 Sanctions Committee and other partner countries in the UN. They also met with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), sources told PTI. A readout from UNOCT and CTED of the meeting with the Indian team Wednesday, provided to PTI, said that United Nations Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov of the Office of Counter-Terrorism and Assistant ...

India makes significant pledges at UN peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin

India, which is among the largest troop contributing countries to UN peacekeeping, has made key pledges at a peacekeeping ministerial meeting, including a quick reaction force company and one women-led formed police unit (FPU). India pledged a Quick Reaction Force company, an armed police or mixed armed police unit, one women-led Formed Police Unit and a counter-improvised explosive devices/ explosive ordnance disposal unit as well as a K-9 unit and a SWAT police unit, the UN Department of Peace Operations said in a post on X. "Thank you India for your support", UN peacekeeping said. The United Nations peacekeeping ministerial 2025 concluded in Berlin, Germany Wednesday. More than 130 member states and international partners over a thousand participants in total came together to reaffirm their support for UN peacekeeping and to announce concrete pledges aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and adaptability of peace operations in the face of evolving global challenges. A total of 74

Hope India-Pak deal will help resolve outstanding issues: UN spokesperson

With India and Pakistan having reached an understanding to end hostilities we're in a better place, a spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said and hoped the countries would use it to deal with their outstanding issues. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. The ceasefire is holding. I think we have seen we're in a better place than we were before. We hope that the ceasefire will continue to hold, and we hope that the parties will use this to deal with a lot of the outstanding issues between them, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing Tuesday. India carried out precision strikes under 'Operation Sindoor' on terror infrastructure early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and .

India climbs 3 spots to 130 on United Nations' Human Development Index

India now stands at par with Bangladesh, while Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan rank 89th, 145th and 168th, respectively, on the UN Development Programme's 2025 Human Development Report

Centre along with UNDP to empower waste pickers through inclusion, safety

The Centre on Labour Day signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to improve waste pickers' access to finance and relevant technologies and ensure a safer and more sustainable work environment. The agreement was exchanged between Angela Lusigi, UNDP's Resident Representative in India and Amit Yadav, Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE). The collaboration would unravel as part of government's ongoing efforts under the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme, which added waste pickers as a key focus group in 2024, according to an official statement. Under the agreement, the UNDP will provide financial assistance to set up state project management units (PMUs) across multiple states to ensure better coordination between central and state authorities and streamline implementation. The waste picker component of NAMASTE aims to formally identify and support around 2.5 lakh people engage

India to give $990,000 aid to Sierra Leone for differently abled persons

India will provide a funding support of close to a million dollars to Sierra Leone from the India-UN Development Partnership Fund for a project for differently abled persons in the West African country. In response to a request by the Government of Sierra Leone, India will provide the 990,000 dollar funding support for the project Enabling Economic Independence For Specially Abled Persons In Sierra Leone (Persons With Disabilities)'. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is partnering with India towards the project. A press release issued by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN here Thursday said that the project is a top national development priority for the Sierra Leone Government as it will promote sustainable livelihoods for persons with disabilities through training and work cooperatives in rural areas. This would enable them to achieve economic independence while staying close to their homes. The project aims to refurbish dedicated centres for persons with ...

India's disaster response experience makes it key to Myanmar quake aid: UN

India has emerged as a key player in the humanitarian response to the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, providing swift and substantial aid that has significantly bolstered relief efforts, a UN official has said. In an interview with PTI Videos, Sajjad Mohammad Sajid, Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, praised India's rapid deployment of resources under Operation Rama, delivering over 1,000 metric tonnes of humanitarian aid, including food, medical supplies, and field hospital support, within days of the disaster. Myanmar was hit by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake on March 28. "The early deployment of resources and facilities helped a lot of people, particularly in urban areas of Mandalay," Sajid said, noting that India also sent a 200-strong search and rescue team and medical personnel to assist the worst-hit regions. The establishment of a field hospital in Mandalay has been particularly critical, Sajid added, as many local hospitals

'Exemplar': UN lauds India's progress in child mortality reduction

India's efforts and progress in reducing preventable child deaths has been lauded as "exemplar" by the United Nations, which cited the example of health initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat, and said the country has saved millions of young lives through strategic investments in its health system. The United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation report, released Tuesday, cited the example of five exemplar countries in achieving child mortality reduction -- India, Nepal, Senegal, Ghana and Burundi -- highlighting diverse strategies that have accelerated progress in reducing preventable child deaths. The report said these countries illustrate that with "political will, evidence-based strategies and sustained investments, even resource-constrained settings facing unique challenges can achieve substantial reductions in mortality, bringing the world closer to an end to preventable child deaths". On India, the report said the country has made gains through health system

Human rights defenders praise India's progress at UN event in Geneva

Organised by the ECO FAWN Society, the event also countered misleading narratives about India often propagated by certain foreign NGOs

Peacekeeping not risk-free, those attacking must be punished: India at UNSC

Asserting that peacekeeping is not a zero-risk effort, India told the UN Security Council that peacekeepers have to contend with the presence of non-state actors, armed groups and terrorists, and in an era of complex conflicts and threats, perpetrators of crimes against peacekeepers must be brought to justice. These remarks were made by India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, during the UN Security Council Open Debate on Advancing Adaptability in UN Peace operations on Monday. "UN Peacekeepers today have to contend with the presence of non-state actors, armed groups, terrorists, as well as transnational criminal networks. Technological advancements have created new challenges in the form of mis-/dis-/mal-information and hate speech, new-age weapons, including drones, IEDs etc. These are but a few new realities that peacekeepers are up against," he said. "Safety and security of peacekeepers must remain paramount. In an era marked by complex conflic

Trump's 'America First' era: Are global institutions losing relevance?

World leaders are increasingly questioning the relevance of major global institutions, including the UN, WHO, WTO, and climate summits such as the Paris Agreement, in a multipolar world

Religious discrimination affects followers of all faiths: India at UNGA

India has said it stands united with the UN members in condemning incidents of religious intolerance against Muslims, as it underlined the need to recognise that religious discrimination is a broader challenge affecting followers of all faiths. India is a land of diversity and pluralism. We are home to followers of virtually every major religion in the world and India has been the birthplace of four world religions namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. With over 200 million of its citizens practising Islam, India is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador P Harish said on Friday. Addressing the informal meeting of the plenary in the UN General Assembly to commemorate the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Harish said that fostering a world free from religious discrimination, hatred and violence has been a way of life for India since time immemorial. We stand united with the UN membership in ..

India, China saw strong trade growth in Q4 2024 amid risks: UN report

Developing nations, particularly India and China, saw better than average trade expansion in the fourth quarter of 2024, a UN report has said but warned of a potential for an economic slowdown globally in the upcoming quarters. The latest Global Trade Update by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), covering data through early March, said that global trade expanded by nearly USD 1.2 trillion in 2024, reaching USD 33 trilliona result of a 9 per cent rise in services trade and a 2 per cent increase in goods trade. Developing nations, particularly China and India, saw better than average trade expansion, while many developed nations experienced trade contractions, it said. It said that China and India saw stronger trade momentum in Q4 2024 while the US remained a key driver. Merchandise trade showed mixed trends among major economies in Q4 2024. China and India trade continued to increase, particularly in exports. Conversely, export growth in South Korea decelerated, although it remaine

India adds six properties to tentative list for Unesco recognition

A set of six properties -- including some considered serially, such as Ashokan Edict Sites and Chausath Yogini Temples spread across multiple states -- have been added to India's tentative list by the UNESCO's World Heritage Centre. These sites were added to the list on March 7, the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO said in a statement. India at UNESCO shared the statement on microblogging site X, late on Thursday. Addition to the World Heritage Centre's tentative list is mandatory if a property is to be nominated for inscription to the World Heritage List in future, it said. The six properties added to the tentative list include Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh; Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs in Telangana; serial nomination of Ashokan Edict Sites along the Mauryan Routes (multiple states); serial nomination of Chausath Yogini Temples (multiple states); serial nomination of Gupta Temples in north India (multiple states), and the palace-fortresses of the Bundelas in Mad

India criticises secrecy over UNSC subsidiary body listing bids rejection

Underlining the need for more transparency in workings of the UN Security Council's subsidiary bodies, India said details about rejecting or putting on hold requests to blacklist terror entities are not made public and are the exclusive preserve of a select few, calling it a disguised veto. India's Permanent Representative at the UN Ambassador P. Harish spoke at the Inter-Governmental Negotiations Plenary Cluster Debate on Working Methods here Thursday and underscored the need for urgent reform of the 15-nation Security Council and its working methods - from more transparency in the working of the subsidiary bodies to implementation of peacekeeping mandates. The demand in this Chamber for reforms is loud and clear. This call gains greater significance at a time when the world is expressing apprehensions at the ability of the United Nations to deliver, to meaningfully intervene on issues of key importance to humanity in different parts of the globe, particularly in the realm of peace

EAM Jaishankar meets UN USG, reviews India's contribution to peacekeeping

The two leaders spoke about India's longstanding commitment to UN Peacekeeping and multilateralism