- Monday, November 25, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA on Monday (24) lashed out at the member states of the United Nations (UN) saying they have failed themselves by dilly-dallying on the conclusion of a comprehensive convention against international terrorism.
India, which is currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, has said that the global body has neither agreed on a common definition of terrorism nor crafted a well-coordinated policy to tackle the global scourge and dismantle its enabling networks.
‘Doubt on the relevance of the organisation’
Dinesh Setia, the second secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, said in the UN General Assembly meeting to consider the report of secretary-general on the body’s work, “Our inability to seriously address terrorism, the most dangerous of scourges faced by states and societies since the World War II, casts doubt on the relevance of the organisation for the very people whom the Charter of the United Nations obliges us to protect.”
“The United Nations has yet to agree on a common definition, let alone craft a coherent well-coordinated policy to tackle terrorism and dismantle its enabling networks. We have failed ourselves by continuing to procrastinate on concluding a comprehensive convention against international terrorism,” he said.
India proposed a draft document on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the UN in 1968 but it has not been implemented yet as there is no unanimity on the definition of terrorism among the UN’s member nations.
Setia also said that the effectiveness, relevance and longevity of any institution lie in its dynamic character and ability to adapt itself to the changing times.
“As long as the key organs of the organisation remain anchored in a governance structure frozen in the past, the crisis of legitimacy and performance will persist,” the Indian diplomat added.
Setia lamented that four decades have gone by since the inscription of the item on the reform of the security council on the agenda of the general assembly and called on the member states to strive to ensure that the current year sees some concrete progress with regard to the council and a UN that reflects the realities of today’s world.
Setia said New Delhi shares UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres’ conviction that a vibrant, credible and effective UN is a critical defence against the pressures being faced by the global order.
India welcomed Guterres’ continuing initiative to modernise and reform the secretariat and make the UN fit for purpose, including streamlining the peace and security architecture, achieving gender parity and addressing the organisation’s financial sustainability.
“India will continue to support the secretary-general in the implementation of these initiatives, including through voluntary contributions, as appropriate,” he said.
Setia also said that in the last one year, India has joined the global efforts to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘One Earth One Health’ approach underlines the country’s continuing commitment, which is evident in the supply of medicines to over 150 countries; and vaccines to many nations in the developing world, he said.
“India is gearing up to produce more vaccines for the world and we have pledged to make our production and delivery capacity available for the greater good of humanity,” Setia said, adding that the world cannot afford a division over vaccines.
