Multilateral effort to address global challenges: India’s clarion call for reform in UN

NewsBharati    07-Feb-2019
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United Nations, Feb 7: India strongly takes stand for collective international efforts towards the revitalization of the 193- member UN General Assembly. India stated that we must lead the multilateral effort to address global challenges.

India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu stated that the reform of the Security Council is central to the overall process of revitalizing the United Nations and there is no better platform than the General Assembly where this process can be driven in the most democratic and representative manner.

Speaking at the informal meeting with former Presidents of the General Assembly on 'Revitalization of the United Nations in favor of a strengthened multilateral rules-based system', Naidu said, “The General Assembly, which includes a significant number of environmentally vulnerable countries is uniquely placed to accelerate efforts for Environment and Climate Action”.

Describing the General Assembly as "the closest institution to a global parliament" by virtue of being the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the United Nations, Naidu expressed, ”No other global institution can match its representative character and the credibility that it derives from such representativeness”.

"Multiple high-level events running parallel to the annual General Debate undermines the importance of this most important event on the UN calendar," he added, “there is also need to ensure that the General Assembly is well attended during the annual general debate when global leaders congregate at the UN”.

he said, "Images of world leaders addressing a General Assembly with empty seats does not send a positive signal. Further, the office of the President of the General Assembly must be must be adequately funded and it should not be left to the individual PGAs to raise funds for discharging their activities”.

Emphasizing that multilateralism is coming under severe strain because of multiple developments, Naidu said, global challenges cutting across boundaries and regions cannot be addressed in isolation and the General Assembly, with its broadest possible participation and ownership in decision-making, must lead the multilateral effort.