Statement by India at the Meeting of the Group of Fifteen (G15) Ministers of Foreign Affairs, delivered by Shri Dinesh Bhatia, Joint Secretary (MER), MEA on 27 September 2012

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to thank you for hosting this meeting and convey warm greetings to you and to all members of the Group.

At the outset, India would like to express appreciation and gratitude to Sri Lanka, the current Chair of G-15, for excellent stewardship of the Group, and for taking it forward in the right direction.

Today, the world is facing manifold challenges, which relates to management of the global economy and finance, securing stable and sustainable food and energy supplies, poverty alleviation, eradicating hunger and deprivation, tackling pandemics, raising literacy levels, ensuring sustainable development and coping with climate change. The persisting global financial crisis has increased the vulnerability of developing countries, which have to bear the additional burden of inflationary pressures. The existing problems cannot be solved effectively without a greater voice for developing countries on these issues.

We are witnessing several attempts by the developed countries at several international fora including UNCTAD, to redefine the aid agenda and shift the responsibility of development cooperation to the developing countries, particularly to the ‘emerging market economies’. As the ‘emerging market economies’ have also been equally hit by global financial crisis, it is essential to continue with the North-South Cooperation and Official Development Assistance which has its own rationale or obligation towards the developing world for the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries including achievement of Millennium Development Goals within the target date of 2015.

At this juncture, as the only cross-regional grouping, the role of G-15 in enhancing cooperation among the countries of the South, and engaging in a meaningful dialogue with the North, becomes crucial. We urge that the current economic crisis should not be used as a pretext for diluting the development assistance flows from the developed world to the developing countries.

The Group of Fifteen has the potential to demonstrate the value of South-South cooperation amongst developing countries. Our shared objective of working together should be to ensure mutually beneficial cooperation, especially in the areas of investment, trade and technology. Our individual strengths, competencies and global influence would be multiplied manifold if we pool our resources together and develop ‘win-win’ synergies and complementarities.

Mr. Chairman

We take this opportunity to appreciate the efforts by the chairs of both Working Groups for making concrete proposals. We also greatly appreciate the work of the Chair of the Working Group on Institutional Mechanisms, Indonesia, for making meaningful recommendations for streamlining the Technical Support Facility, which would enable it to contribute more directly and meaningfully to the Group’s activities and its revitalized role. We are happy to learn that, the Working on Sectoral Cooperation chaired by Mexico is currently preparing a Project Proposal “Training Workshop on Renewable Energies” in the area of renewable energies, proposed to be organised in Senegal. We also appreciate the initiative of Iran, for proposing to organise an International Conference on Renewable Energy and the Earth Existence in Mashhad, Iran on October 16 and 17, 2012.

India has, in the past, actively participated in G-15 projects and has coordinated a number of them. We would be happy to contribute to a G-15 initiative by collaborating in capacity-building, technical assistance and sectoral cooperation projects. In this regard, we reiterate our offer to replicate our collaborative projects in developing countries, such as those implemented in Senegal on solar energy and the establishment of a Centre for Entrepreneurship Development in Zimbabwe, within the framework of G-15 cooperation.

We also look forward to actively engaging with the Group on international development issues where we have shared concerns, including the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). I am certain that our deliberations will meet with success.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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