India has said that the 'Pact of the Future', adopted by consensus by world leaders here last month, falls short in capturing views expressed by a majority of UN member states calling for Security Council expansion and beginning text-based negotiations on reform within a fixed time frame. The UN hosted the landmark Summit of the Future during the high-level General Assembly session in September where world leaders had adopted by consensus the Pact of the Future'. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador P. Harish, addressing the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly on Strengthening of the United Nations system', said that India would have liked to see a more ambitious Chapter Five, referring to the Pact's chapter on transforming global governance that includes language on reform of the UN Security Council. Harish said that Delhi continues to believe that the Inter-Governmental Negotiations input for the Summit of the Future did not go far enough in addressing the ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged terrorism and "new theatres of conflict" in areas like cyber, maritime and space at the UN on Monday, saying global action on these issues must match global ambition. His address at the UN's landmark Summit of the Future comes against the backdrop of conflicts across the world, including the Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine crisis. Modi said terrorism continues to be a serious threat to global peace and security. He added that areas such as cyber, maritime and space are emerging as new theatres of conflict. "On all these issues, I will stress that Global Action must match Global Ambition!" he said. "Success of humanity lies in our collective strength, not in the battlefield," Modi told the UN event. On the first day of the summit that opened Sunday, world leaders adopted by consensus the Pact of the Future, with annexes - Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations that lays the path forward for the UN and the international ...
Earlier, US President Joe Biden, during his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, affirmed support for initiatives to reform global institutions to reflect India's important voice
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday arrived in the US for a three-day visit to attend a Quad summit and address a key conclave at the United Nations. Modi will also hold separate bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden and other world leaders on the margins of the Quad summit in Wilmington, Delaware, and the 'Summit of the Future' at the UN General Assembly in New York. Modi landed at Philadelphia for his onward journey to Wilmington. The annual Quad summit at President Joe Biden's hometown Wilmington is expected to roll out a series of new initiatives to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and explore ways to find peaceful solutions to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. The prime minister's other engagements include joining an Indian diaspora event at Long Island and participating in a round table with CEOs of American firms working on cutting-edge technologies such as AI, quantum computing and semiconductors. In his departure statement at New Delhi, Modi said he lo
Central to India's position is need for text-based negotiations within IGN framework, Patel pointed out that, unlike other multilateral processes, discussions on UNSC reform have that yet to adopt
A UN body that regulates deep international waters is preparing to elect its next leader, a crucial position as it faces pressure to either ban, approve or place a moratorium on seabed mining. The upcoming election comes as the Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority ended a two-week session on Friday without reaching a consensus on a regulatory framework for deep-sea mining. The drawn-out debate raises concerns that the authority could receive an application later this year seeking the first deep sea mining exploitation license without having rules or regulations in place. The Metals Company, a Canadian-based mining company, is largely expected to be the first to apply for such a license. Mining exploration has been ongoing in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, which covers 1.7 million square miles (4.5 million square kilometers) between Hawaii and Mexico. It is occurring at depths ranging from 13,000 to 19,000 feet (4,000 to 6,000 meters). However, no exploitation licens
After three of Earth's hottest days ever measured, the United Nations called for a flurry of efforts to try to reduce the human toll from soaring and searing temperatures, calling it an extreme heat epidemic. If there is one thing that unites our divided world, it's that we're all increasingly feeling the heat, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday at a news conference where he highlighted that Monday was the hottest day on record, surpassing the mark set just a day earlier. Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere. Nearly half a million people a year die worldwide from heat related deaths, far more than other weather extremes such as hurricanes, and this is likely an underestimate, a new report by 10 U.N. agencies said. Billions of people are facing an extreme heat epidemic -- wilting under increasingly deadly heat waves, with temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius around the world," Guterres said. "That's 122 degrees Fahrenhei
The official also called for taking proactive steps to prevent the spread of radicalisation among the youth
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following the developments in Bangladesh very closely and is deeply concerned by the ongoing violence, his spokesperson has said, urging authorities in Dhaka to work with its young population and find solutions to the ongoing challenges. Violent protests erupted in Bangladesh over quotas in the allocation of government jobs. Turning to the situation in Bangladesh, I can tell you that we are, of course, following the developments in the capital, Dhaka, and other places in Bangladesh very closely, and we continue to call for restraint from all sides, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing Thursday. The UN chief urged the Bangladesh Government to ensure a conducive environment for dialogue and encouraged protesters to engage in dialogue to resolve the deadlock. Violence is never a solution, Dujarric said, adding that the Secretary-General encourages meaningful and constructive participation o
He urged stronger commitments from developed countries and innovative financing mechanisms to support climate action
Major Radhika Sen is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive this award, after Major Suman Gawani in 2019
A top Indian official, Kamal Kishore, has started his term as a special representative of UN chief Antonio Guterres for disaster risk reduction. On March 28, Kishore, 55, was appointed by Guterres as his special representative for disaster risk reduction. Kishore was earlier with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). He succeeds Mami Mizutori of Japan at the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The UNDRR welcomed on May 20 the arrival of Kishore, who started his term as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Head of UNDRR, the office said in a statement on Thursday. Kishore said that the UNDRR plays an important role in drawing together global efforts to reduce disaster risks in the face of increasing vulnerabilities, and said he was looking forward to building on the progress made to date. "UNDRR's ambition matches the scale of the problem," he said. He commended the leadership of the .
The resolution on Friday won a resounding majority of 143 votes in favour, including by India. 25 countries abstained, while nine nations, including Israel and the United States, voted against it
India, with deep economic and political ties with Russia, has consistently pushed for dialog and diplomacy to end the conflict. It has not publicly criticized or voted against Russia at the UN
India has launched a new database designed to record crimes against UN peacekeepers and monitor progress in holding perpetrators accountable, India's UN envoy Ruchira Kamboj said on Thursday, asserting that New Delhi is at the forefront of advocating for accountability. The launch of the database was announced at a high-level meeting of the India-led 'Group of Friends' (GOF) on Tuesday. "Delighted to announce the launch of a new database designed to record crimes against Peacekeepers & monitor progress in holding perpetrators accountable. India is at the forefront of advocating for accountability, leading the Group of Friends dedicated to this cause," India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Kamboj, said in a post on X. The database is designed to serve as an online repository, empowering the Secretariat, Missions, and member states to monitor and address cases of malicious acts against peacekeepers, a press release by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN said. "This ...
Global trade dipped 3% to $31 trillion in 2023 after peaking in 2022
India has slammed Pakistan and described it as a broken record that remains stagnant while the world progresses after Islamabad's envoy here made references to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and Citizenship Amendment Act during remarks to the UN General Assembly. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said this while responding to comments made by Pakistan's Ambassador Munir Akram during the plenary meeting on Friday where the resolution Measures to combat Islamophobia', introduced by Pakistan, was adopted by the 193-member UN General Assembly. "One final point concerns a delegation (and its remarks) that, much like a broken record, remains sadly stagnant while the world progresses, she said. Akram made references to the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya as well as to the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Kamboj said it is unfortunate indeed to witness this delegation's limited and misguided perspective on matters relating to my count
India's envoy to the UN has said that the overall objective of the global community in Afghanistan aligns with New Delhi's priorities in the war-torn nation, including the need to combat terrorism. India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, told the UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on Wednesday that New Delhi pays close attention to the situation in the country, which has a direct impact on us". "Our objective is to establish long-term peace, security and stability in Afghanistan, Kamboj said, as she told the top organ of the United Nations that India participated actively in the recent meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan held in Qatar. "The overall objective of the vast majority of the international community aligns with India's priorities with respect to Afghanistan," she said. "These include the need to counter terrorism, bring in inclusive governance, safeguard the rights and interests of women, children and minorities, counter-narcoti
There are no recent signs that the Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, has taken steps to limit the activities of foreign terrorist fighters in the war-torn country, according to a report by UN chief Antonio Guterres. The report also voiced member nations' concern that terrorist groups enjoy "greater freedom in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan than at any time in recent history, especially noting the spike in the strength of the dreaded ISIL-k terror group which has nearly doubled from earlier estimates of 2,200 fighters following the release of several thousand individuals from prison. The security landscape in Afghanistan changed dramatically on August 15, following a Taliban military campaign that seized 33 of 34 provincial capitals, including Kabul, according to the '14th report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (Da'esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat'. T
Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted on Saturday that criminals have been using the latest technology for funding and operating across regions as he called for rethinking, reimagining and reforming legal systems to deliver justice. Speaking at the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) - Commonwealth Attorneys and Solicitors General Conference (CASGC), he said countries already work with each other in the domain of air traffic control and maritime traffic, and advocated extending this to investigation and justice delivery. "When we work together then jurisdiction becomes a tool to deliver justice and not to delay it," he said, adding that the nature and scope of crime have seen radical changes. Sometime ensuring justice in one country requires working with other countries, he said. He expressed hope that the conference works to ensure that everyone has access to timely justice and no one is left behind. The rise of cryptocurrency and cyber threats presents new challenges an