New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that India’s “grass-roots” health system has helped the country in attaining one of the best recovery rates in the world in its fight against Covid-19, despite a huge population that is almost one-sixth of the world.
The Prime Minister was delivering a keynote address virtually at this year’s High-Level Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) session.
This was the first address by the PM to the broader UN membership since India’s overwhelming election as a non-permanent member of the Security Council on June 17, for the term 2021-22, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
“COVID-19 pandemic has severely tested the resilience of all nations. In India, we have tried to make the fight against the pandemic a people’s movement, by combining the efforts of Government and civil society,” PM Modi said in his virtual address.
“Be it earthquakes, cyclones, Ebola crisis or any other natural or man-made crisis, India has responded with speed and solidarity. In our joint fight against COVID, we have extended medical and other assistance to over 150 countries,” he added.
In his address, PM also recalled India’s long association with the ECOSOC and the UN’s developmental work, including for the Sustainable Development Goals. He noted that India’s developmental motto of ‘SabkaSaath, SabkaVikaas, Sabka Vishwas’ resonates with the core SDG principle of leaving no one behind.
Prime Minister Modi pointed out that India’s success in improving the socio-economic indicators of its vast population has a significant impact on global SDG targets. He spoke about India’s commitment to also support other developing countries in meeting their SDG targets.
The theme of the High-Level Segment of the ECOSOC this year is “Multilateralism after COVID19: What kind of UN do we need at the 75th anniversary”.
Coinciding with the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the UN, this theme also resonates with India’s priority for its forthcoming membership of the UN Security Council. Prime Minister reiterated India’s call for a ‘reformed multilateralism’ in a post-COVID-19 world, which reflects the realities of the contemporary world.
-ARK
