At the Millennium Summit
of
the
United Nations
New York, September 8, 2000
“
Standing
at the gates of an important epoch, at a point in our history that joins the
past, the present and the future, we the representatives of six billion people
must ensure that this Millennium Summit and the General Assembly session that
follows will transcend issues of narrow concerns and chart a new course for
humanity. A course that will lead to enduring peace, development and security
for all.
”
Mr.
President,
It is apt that the Millennium
Summit of the United Nations, which symbolises the confluence of the developed
and the developing worlds, should be jointly presided over by the leaders of two
vibrant democracies, Finland and Namibia -- one a developed country from Europe,
the other, a developing country from Africa.
In your joint presidency, on
which I congratulate you, you symbolise the partnership between diversity and
the sharing of fundamental values that lie at the core of the United Nations;
indeed the very strength on which the United Nations must build itself in the
new century.
This unique summit marks the
formal entry of the United Nations into the 21st century and the new
millennium. More importantly, it reflects the collective desire of peoples
living in 189 countries spread across the world to forge a future free of the
blemishes of the past.
A
future that will guarantee equitable development of all nations East and West,
North and South.
A
future that will guarantee freedom from want for nearly a quarter of the
world’s peoples living in abject poverty.
A
future that will guarantee freedom from fear of war among nations and conflicts
within societies.
And
a future in which nations will work together as equals for a new world order
based on justice and equality.
Mr.
President,
Standing
at the gates of an important epoch, at a point in our history that joins the
past, the present and the future, we the representatives of six billion people
must ensure that this Millennium Summit and the General Assembly session that
follows will transcend issues of narrow concerns and chart a new course for
humanity. A course that will lead to enduring peace, development and security
for all.
Let
there be no doubt that the journey to our future, which we begin at the
Millennium Summit, is over a very long and winding road. At every turn, we will
be challenged by doubts. Overcoming that challenge and forging ahead will be the
real test of the resolve that we voice at this Summit.
In spite of human endeavour
for peace, prosperity and cooperation among nations in the century gone by, the
world is not free of conflict, often with terrible consequences. Much of this
conflict is attributable to hostile aggression, lust for territory or, simply,
hegemony.
But conflict is also born in
failure of equitable development among and within nations.
For long it has been established that poverty threatens peace and social
cohesiveness within nations. It now needs to be recognised that the continuing
poverty of some nations, even while others prosper, not only taunts our
conscience; it also threatens peace among nations.
Poverty can neither be wished
away, nor accepted as a reality beyond redemption. This affliction that strikes
at the core of human dignity has to be cured through the collective will and
effort of all nations, rich and poor.
The century we have just left
behind is littered with many a turning point in the history of humanity. The
last 100 years were both the best of times and the worst of times. There were
moments of utter despair and flashes of soaring hope.
In the 20th century
we have seen colonialism peak and collapse. We have seen totalitarian and racist
regimes rule with an iron fist, only to crumble in the face of assertive desire
for liberty and human dignity. We have seen death and destruction caused by wars
rekindle humankind’s urge for lasting and durable peace.
It has been a century of
contrasts. Giant strides in science and technology marking the conquest of new
frontiers of knowledge have helped us grow more food, produce life saving drugs
and send satellites into space. Yet, millions still go hungry, die of easily
curable diseases and are deprived of the enlightenment and empowerment that
education ensures.
The emergence of a global
economy has led to undeniable benefits like faster growth, higher living
standards and new opportunities. The rapid spread of Information Technology,
riding the crest of a Knowledge Revolution, has virtually led to the creation of
a digital world where the click of a mouse can span vast distances in less than
a fraction of a second. A ‘New Economy’ drives the world today.
Yet, nearly a quarter of the
people this Assembly represents have neither prospered nor gained from these
developments. Often, they find themselves further marginalised and more
vulnerable as development economics gives way to unbridled market economics and
social objectives are erased by profit motives.
Mr. President,
Globalisation was supposed to
deliver economic equality among all nations through free flow of goods, services
and capital. The reality we see today is an asymmetry in the benefits from
globalisation between the developing and developed worlds. This asymmetry has
further accentuated income disparities, thus increasing the scope of conflict
and strife.
If one in four of the
world’s people still live in severe poverty, there is something wrong
somewhere in the manner in which we have been managing global development
issues. The situation is made worse by the fact that developing countries with
decreasing resources, both natural and financial, are finding it increasingly
difficult to meet their social obligations.
Therefore, removing economic
inequality, both between and within nations, and ensuring that development does
not suffer for want of funds, are two of the challenges that we have to
collectively meet in the new century.
We also need to actively
consider a fresh global initiative to fight poverty. In a globalised economy,
poverty eradication cannot be treated as the exclusive responsibility of
individual nations. Therefore, a new global strategy against poverty is called
for.
Even as poverty severely
inhibits the socio-economic progress of developing countries, the alarming
spread of HIV/AIDS drains their productive capacities. The co-relation between
HIV incidence and poverty is too compelling to ignore.
It should be the concern of
all humanity to generate the resources for concerted awareness campaigns for HIV
prevention; for making preventive, palliative and curative drugs affordable;
and, for the scientific quest for definitive prophylaxis and cure for the
various strains of the dreaded virus. These tasks should not be allowed to add
to the already onerous burden that developing countries are carrying today.
Another issue that should be
of universal concern is the debt burden of many a developing nation. This burden
grows yearly with new debts being contracted to pay off current interest
charges. This results in a continual haemorrhage of wealth that further
debilitates the developing world.
The United Nations has a
signal role to play in this global effort: by focusing attention on equitable
development, by ensuring that development is not the preserve of a few.
In the last decade of the last
century, we have seen a series of world conferences on various aspects of
development – social development, women’s issues, population and
environment. We now look forward to the conference on financing for development.
Indeed, it is time that we
looked at assurance of economic development, growth and distribution together in
a high-level UN conference. And, we
urge that development be made a cross cutting issue in the work of a reformed
United Nations.
In the emerging world order of
the 21st century, economic multi-polarity will be a critical factor.
Globalisation has given birth to an ever-expanding web of inter-dependent
economies linked by trade and commerce, apart from unprecedented flow of capital
across borders, backed by the Information Technology revolution.
But economic inter-dependence
is best when it is based on the principle of non-discrimination. Only then can
nations benefit equitably from global trade and commerce. To achieve this, and
to ensure genuine economic multilateralism, the tendency of some to rely on
non-tariff barriers to preserve markets and perpetuate current balance of trade
should be resisted by all.
This can be best guaranteed by
ensuring, especially for developing countries, free access to markets and
services through more transparent and predictable standards and requirements.
Mr.
President,
Global
financial integration has encouraged an unregulated and volatile capital
mobility across national boundaries and currency zones. This has exposed many
developing countries to tremendous risks.
Part
of the problem is that we have moved towards an integrated international
financial market without fully realising the potential turbulence which could
result in weaker economies. Indeed, the 1990s are replete with financial crises
striking developing countries and revealing the economically destabilising
impact of an uncontrolled global flight of money on developing and transition
economies.
The
resources of the International Monetary Fund should be augmented to deal with
economic crisis created by the globalisation policy being pursued by member
countries. Its role in anticipating major crises through improved disclosure
standards and enhanced information systems also needs to be strengthened. This
would be applicable equally to both developed and developing countries.
The
new century needs a new financial architecture to strengthen the role of
multilateral institutions responsible for ensuring the stability of the
international financial system. Multilateral cooperation should focus more
clearly on the need for better policy co-ordination among developed countries to
avoid policy misalignment, which can have a destabilising effect on
international capital movements.
An
inter-dependent world calls for greater participation by developing countries in
the major forums of decision making. There is need to increase the share of
developing countries in decision-making in international forums dealing with the
international financial system.
Mr. President,
We cannot have true
development without peace between nations and democracy within them. Indeed,
democracy and peace continue to remain the best guarantors for unhindered
development – each secures the other.
The continued existence of
nuclear weapons is a threat to global security in this new century, as in the
century gone by which not only saw the development but also the tragic use of
weapons of mass destruction. The international community has successfully
diminished, if not entirely removed, the threat posed by chemical and biological
weapons. But not so with nuclear weapons.
In fact, despite all the talk
of nuclear disarmament from various forums, the stockpiles of weapons of mass
destruction, in the custody of those who were the first to build up such a
deadly arsenal, remain virtually untouched. It would seem that we are still far
away from achieving a goal that can assure the survival of humanity in the new
millennium.
India was forced to acquire
these weapons in 1998 because the principal nuclear weapon states refused to
accept the almost universal demand for nuclear disarmament. Moreover, the spread
of nuclear weapons in our neighbourhood made us especially vulnerable.
Nevertheless, our policy is
based on responsibility and restraint and we continue to press for universal,
verifiable nuclear disarmament with undiminished commitment, even while
safeguarding our strategic space and autonomy in decision-making. International
peace cannot be divorced from the need for equal and legitimate security for
all. We support the Secretary
General’s proposal for an international conference to address nuclear dangers.
In the interregnum, India
continues with its voluntary moratorium on further underground nuclear test
explosions. India remains committed to working for the successful conclusion of
her security dialogue with key interlocutors on the CTBT. I reiterate our
position that we will not prevent the entry into force of the CTBT. At the same
time, all other countries which must ratify the CTBT under Article XIV of the
Treaty, should do so without condition.
India also remains committed
to participate in negotiations on a Treaty that will prohibit the production of
fissile materials for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. We
will participate in these discussions in good faith and in order to ensure a
Treaty that is non-discriminatory and meets India’s security imperatives.
Mr. President,
Of the many other threats to
peace, democracy and development, none has become as dangerous as international
terrorism, with its links to religious extremism, drug trafficking and the
commerce in illicit arms. Plural and open democracies are the target of the
scourge of terrorism that strikes at the very root of tolerance, the mainstay of
civil society in a free world.
For more than a decade now
India has been a victim of cross-border terrorism that has claimed thousands of
innocent lives. We have been fighting this crime against humanity with the
weapons available to a responsible democracy.
India calls for united global
action against these dangers. We urge the international community to quickly
adopt and implement the Comprehensive Convention Against Terrorism that will be
negotiated at the UN General Assembly session that follows this Summit.
Many statesman-like words have
been delivered from this high tribune. Unfortunately, some of them are an
Orwellian mockery. Those who have stifled democracy at home speak of freedom
from this forum. Those who have engaged in the clandestine acquisition of
nuclear weapons and delivery systems talk of ridding South Asia of these. Those
who have repudiated solemn covenants talk of new agreements to prevent war. The
authors of a vicious terrorist campaign that has claimed more than 30,000
innocent lives in India, who actively sabotaged a historic peace initiative, are
now offering new initiatives for dialogue.
The world must see the reality
as it is. The acid test of sincerity of purpose is not words, but deeds.
Terrorism and dialogue do not go together.
We also urge the international
community to act collectively against the indiscriminate proliferation of, and
illegal trafficking in, small arms and light weapons. Countries should cooperate
and work closely to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small
arms and light weapons by adopting an International Programme of Action of
Agreed Measures.
Mr. President,
Because there can, by
definition, be no equitable development without democracy, it is essential that
the United Nations promote democratic norms. And the United Nations should do so
not only by monitoring elections or by promoting standards of effective
governance, but by example.
The United Nations is a symbol
of the aspirations of the peoples of the free world to achieve the noble
objectives of peace, equality and honour. The UN Charter envisaged a balance
between the three major inter-governmental organs of the United Nations – the
General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council.
Over the years, this balance
has tilted rather heavily towards the Security Council. It is important that the
central role of the General Assembly be respected; this Millennium Summit is a
good first step, and we thank the Secretary General for proposing it. We are
glad that the Economic and Social Council has again become active in the
promotion of development; we trust that the momentum will be maintained.
However, in a world in flux,
it is understandable that the Security Council will continue to have a rather
special role to play. It is, therefore, all the more necessary that it be made
more representative of the large membership.
We hope this Millennium Summit
will commit itself to an early expansion and reform of the Security Council,
particularly bringing in new permanent members from developed and developing
countries, so that it reflects the new realities of the 21st century.
This will also strengthen this world body to function more purposefully in the
services of all peoples who, as the UN Charter says, constitute the United
Nations.
As member States will recall,
India has let it be known for some years that we believe ourselves qualified by
objective criteria for responsibilities of permanent membership. Indeed, as the
world’s largest democracy, enormous potential, a rapidly growing economic
power and a major contributor to peace-keeping operations, India has a natural
claim to a permanent seat in the Security Council.
Finally, Mr. President, at
this rare moment of the Millennium, when we touch history, let us pledge to work
towards bringing the vast human family closer together. Let us believe in spirit
that our destiny is joined.
I end with an ancient Indian
invocation:
Sarve
bhavantu sukinah
Sarve bhadrani pasyantu
Ma Kaschit dukha bhag bhavet!
May all live happily
May all enjoy good health
May all see auspiciousness
May peace prevail everywhere!
*******
.