Permanent Mission of India

Geneva

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ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment

(21-23 June 2017) 

Statement by India during General Debate 

Mr. President, 

1. Let me start by complementing ECOSOC for choosing the theme ‘Restoring humanity and leaving no one behind’ for 2017 ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment. We expect this to help in mainstreaming humanitarian action with the SDGs and in bridging the development-humanitarian divide. We call for special provisions for taking care of the interest of most vulnerable particularly women and children and use the Yoga's principles of peace and wellness in humanitarian action. 

2. India is deeply concerned about the ongoing humanitarian crisis, particularly the number, intensity and length of conflicts that had displaced an unprecedented number of people. Continued instability, food and water insecurity, increase in intensity and frequency of disasters had further added to the human sufferings. 

3. Over the past months we have witnessed many landmark decisions to address the pressing need of the human sufferings. The central theme of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Addis Ababa Action Agenda, Paris Agreement on Climate Change, World Humanitarian Summit, New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants, the New Urban Agenda (Habitat III) are some of the important global agendas where we all agreed to a common objective, committed our self to address the humanitarian challenges in comprehensive manner. 

4. The time has come when we all need to set aside our differences and work together hand-in-hand and start delivering on the commitments made, so that the people in need do not feel left out and start opting for desperate measures. 

5. Although, funds available for humanitarian action has grown multiple times and has reached all time high of over $22 billion and has saved more lives, provided medical attention to highest number of injured and extended food and shelter to record number of people but has fallen too short to address the extent of challenges. One of the major reasons for growing crisis is due to failure of the Peace and Security pillar of UN. Unless it is addressed in a comprehensive manner, we don’t see any improvement in the humanitarian situation in near future. 

Mr. President, 

6. The reports from the ground level suggests that the principles drawn vide UNGA Resolution 46/182 somehow did not find sufficient appreciation during implementation of the humanitarian action. Despite firm commitments and pledges for reforms there is a tendency to follow business as usual model with narrow political interests, addressing own constituencies, contrary to the needs on the ground. 

7. We need to bring sweeping reforms in the humanitarian architecture of the world rather than adopting a half-hearted transformative process. There is hardly any doubt that the future of humanitarian action requires people centric approach where programmes should to be drawn in consultation with all stakeholders, giving primacy to the views of affected people and the receiving state. In other words the humanitarian actors are required to support the people in need, in the way they need. 

Mr. President, 

8. We have closely examined the wide ranging recommendations given by the Secretary General in his report on Strengthening of the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance of the United Nations. Many of these recommendations are ambitions and useful but quite a number of the recommendations are vague and does not provide any way forward; hence, need to be further examined in light of international legal obligations. 

I thank you, Mr. President.

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