Statement by India during the General Discussions at the Social Forum 2021 (11-12 October 2021) delivered by
Ms. Seema Pujani, Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of India
(Geneva, 11 October 2021)
- Thank you for giving me the floor.
- We thank the Chairperson-Rapporteur, the President of the Human Rights Council and the High Commissioner for Human Rights for their opening remarks. We also welcome the panellists’ views.
- In the last 19 months, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented health and economic crisis. More than 4.8 million lives have been lost. The global human rights agenda has suffered serious setbacks in this period.
- On its part, despite the enormity of our challenges, India implemented a comprehensive strategy that addressed travel related restrictions while maintaining continuity of essential services as well as wide ranging relief and welfare measures in the country.
- In line with our intrinsic philosophy of ‘vasudhaiv kutumbkum’, the world is one family, we believe that only global cooperation can help solve a global crisis. Right from the time of the outbreak, India has played a pivotal role in supply of essential medicines, test kits, protection gears to over 150 countries. The Government of India, through its proactive measures, has not only evacuated millions of Indians under the Vande Bharat Mission but also assisted more than 120 countries to safely evacuate their nationals stranded in India.
- In September 2020, Prime Minister Modi made a commitment to the United Nations that India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to make them accessible and affordable to all. Beginning January 2021, more than 66 million doses of ‘Made in India’ vaccines have been delivered to 95 countries around the world. We have very recently resumed exports of these safe and effective vaccines. We have also made digital solutions such as CO-WIN available freely as open-source software. We have been working with other countries in the WTO on a targeted and temporary waiver under TRIPS to ensure timely and equitable access to COVID-19 therapeutics for all.
- India is also grateful for the extensive support and assistance received from its partner countries when we were going through a severe second wave earlier this year.
- India stands ready to work with the world in the fight to end the pandemic.
