Statement by India at the Seventieth Regular Session of the Trade and Development Board, UNCTAD under ITEM 3: General Debate delivered by Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, Permanent Representative of India
(Geneva, 20th June 2023)
Mr. President Madame SG,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates, a very good morning to you all!
I join other speakers in congratulating Amb Hashmi, PR of Pakistan, on his election as the President, and H.E. Amb. Febrian, PR of Indonesia, on his election as the Vice-President of Trade Development Board (TDB).
We would like to place on record our appreciation to Ambassador Hasans, PR of Latvia, for his tireless and sincere efforts in steering the work of the TDB.
We thank the Secretary-General, Ms. Grynspan for her vibrant and effective leadership of UNCTAD and the Secretariat of UNCTAD for their constant support.
India aligns itself with the statement delivered by Tanzania on behalf of the Group of G-77 and by Thailand on behalf of the APG.
Mr. President,
As we are aware, the world continues to face unprecedented and multiple challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflicts, adverse impacts of climate change, and economic downturn, among others. These global crises have diminished the ability of developing countries to mobilize funds for development and have also exposed some fragile economies to debt crisis. These challenges have severely affected the developmental journey of the countries from global South and impacted their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
It is in this context that, under India’s G20 Presidency, we have put forward an ambitious 7-year Action plan for Accelerating progress on realisation of SDGs which proposes transformative actions on three core agendas, which are:
1. Bold, decisive actions on fostering Data for Development and Digital Public Infrastructure which are needed for digital transformation and bridging digital divide. India’s own experience in leveraging ICTs for digital transformation of India with a view to realise good governance and sustainable development presents a useful example for other countries for their digital transformation.
- Investing in Women led Development which would not only help accelerate progress across all SDGs, but also deliver results on the ground for all sections of society.
- Securing Globally Just transitions which would help ensure the future survival of the planet, while meeting the diverse aspirations of its people.
These transformative actions will act as a force multiplier for accelerating progress across all SDGs and will contribute to a more effective and stronger multilateral system.
Mr. President,
India deeply values the vital role played by UNCTAD as the nodal point in the United Nations system for providing an integrated and cohesive framework to the development agenda, from the perspective of trade, investment, finance and technology. It is of high importance that the UNCTAD, with its integrated approach to trade and development, continues to provide policy advice, analysis and other support to developing countries to enable them to realise the SDGs. All the three pillars of UNCTAD - policy analysis, consensus–building and technical cooperation should continue to be strengthened and revitalized.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate the need for the international community to step up its efforts to fulfil the commitments it has made for an effective global partnership for realising the SDGs and Agenda 2030. India has been committed to south south cooperation and assist the countries from the Global South in realizing their developmental goals and we will continue to expand our developmental partnerships with the fellow developing countries. It is with this spirit that we had convened a Virtual Summit of Global South in January 2023 and have endeavoured to integrate the priorities and aspirations of the Global South into our priorities for G20 under India’s Presidency.
Thank you, Mr. President.
