74th UN General Assembly
Commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter 

(26 June 2020) 

Video Message
by
H.E. Ambassador T. S. Tirumurti, Permanent Representative of India 

The 75th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter is a momentous occasion, and holds a special place for India. In 1945, even before we gained independence, India was among the founding signatories of the Charter at the historic San Francisco Conference. 

2. Seventy five years on, India remains committed the purposes and principles of the UN, and is proud to have made significant contributions to implementing the goals of the Charter, and the evolution of the UN’s specialized programmes and agencies. 

3. We have had many firsts to our credit. India has played an important role in shaping the UN's agenda, taking the lead on the issues of decolonisation, apartheid, human rights, disarmament, environment, terrorism, development and other critical matters. 

4. Today, the milestone anniversary of the UN Charter is also an occasion to introspect and see where we can enhance our focus. 

5. While the Charter provides the overall vision and guiding principles for the role of the United Nations, the pandemic has given us an opportunity to build back better in the post-COVID world. Towards this end, we need to re-capture the spirit of constructive cooperation, to come up with innovative and inclusive solutions to foster development. 

6. Further, we must remember that one of the preeminent purposes of the UN Charter is to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. The world's gravest danger today is the unabated spread of terrorism. When sponsored and supported by States, terrorism becomes another means of waging war. The international community must resolve to combat this menace, since it threatens the very basis of peaceful societies like ours. 

7. UN Peacekeeping operations have played an important role in maintaining peace and security, by protecting civilians and preventing human rights violations arising from conflict. India has a very proud legacy of shouldering this responsibility, by not only providing the largest number of peacekeeping troops, but also having lost more peacekeepers than any other country. We must work towards greater direction, safety and professionalism in UN Peacekeeping mandates. 

8. Let us also not forget that the UN Charter is as much the people of the world as it is for the member sates. We need to focus on people-centric solutions and prevent inimical acts designed to disrupt democracies and pluralistic societies like India. 

9. Finally, the UN Charter places the crucial responsibility of international peace and security with the Security Council. While the world is grappling with new and far more complex challenges, the structure and composition of the Security Council remains a 1940s construct. There has never been a better time for early and comprehensive reform of the Security Council, which would be the true tribute to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. 

10. India’s world-view of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ - the world as one family - is an ancient articulation of the very vision that the UN Charter sets out. It is one rooted in the principles of sovereign equality of nations, non-interference in internal affairs, tolerance, and peaceful co-existence. On this historic occasion, India pledges its continuing commitment to the United Nations’ Charter for the benefit of all. 

Thank you. 

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