Annual Joint Debate of the General Assembly on the Reports of Peacebuilding Commission and Peacebuilding Fund

2 September 2022

APPROVED INDIA REMARKS

Mr. President,

I am pleased to participate in this Joint Debate in the General Assembly today on peace-building. I would like to congratulate Bangladesh for their chairing of the Peace Building Commission (PBC) since February and thank Egypt for their contributions to the PBC initiatives. 

2.    The world today has come to better grasp the complex and inter-linked facets of peacebuilding. The global perspective on addressing conflicts has undergone a paradigmatic shift: from resolution, reconciliation and recovery to prevention and reconstruction, thereby making peacebuilding a critical pillar in our collective response to conflict situations.

3.    India, as one of the leading T/PCCs (Troop / Police Contributing Countries) to UN peacekeeping missions, has been an active member of the PBC since its inception. As we speak, we have more than 5,500 personnel deployed across 9 missions. Serving under the blue flag, 177 gallant Indian soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice, the largest number amongst the T/PCCs.

4. We believe PBC and PBF need enhanced support and increased focus from the member states in fulfilling its mandate. In this context, let me present the following submissions: 

• We continue to underscore the importance of the cardinal principle of inclusivity in order to advance national peacebuilding objectives. Thus, an exclusively donor-driven approach to peacebuilding would not be the most prudent path to follow.
• The ongoing discourse on enhanced financial support for peacebuilding activities through sources other than voluntary contributions merits an in-depth and careful study of its ramifications on the UN ecosystem. Any decision to that effect must be consensus-based. Furthermore, the PBC should exercise its convening role more effectively. 
• Lastly, it is important to set clear benchmarks and criteria for an exit strategy in the country under consideration. Peacebuilding advocacy by the PBC needs to draw down when such criteria are met.

5.    India has always played a constructive and significant role in the context of peacebuilding through its extensive development partnership with countries of the Global South. India continues to assist countries through bilateral and multilateral fora in post-conflict situations by providing substantial grants and soft loans. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, India has stood in solidarity with the Global South by further strengthening existing developmental partnerships. Guided by the ‘Kampala Principles’-- enunciated by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in July 2018 during his address to the Ugandan Parliament--a total of 204 LOCs to the tune of more than US$12 billion have been extended by India to 42 African countries.

6.    I would also take this opportunity to touch upon the India-UN Development Partnership Fund which was established in 2017. In a short span of 5 years, the Fund has developed a portfolio of 66 development projects in partnership with 51 developing countries, including 17 countries in Africa, focusing on South-owned, South-led, demand-driven sustainable development projects.

7.    Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, in order to mitigate the adverse effects of the disruptions in the food and commodity supply chains, India has also been providing financial and food assistance to countries in need. Over the past three months alone, India has exported more than 1.8 million tons of wheat to countries like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan and Yemen. In our immediate neighborhood, we are continuing to help our neighbour Sri Lanka to ensure their food security by providing nearly USD 4 billion in food and financial assistance over the past few months.

8.    As Prime Minister Modi has said at the UN in the past“… let us pledge to reform the global multilateral system to enhance its relevance, to improve its effectiveness to make it the basis for a new type of human-centric globalization”. Going forward, India will continue to be a force multiplier for all peacebuilding efforts driven by this very “human-centric” approach.  I thank you.