New Delhi (NVI): India contributed USD 15.5 million to the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, highlighting the country’s commitment to support fellow developing nations in their developmental priorities across all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During a ceremony, held within social distancing guidelines, at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, the Permanent Representative of India, T S Tirumurti, handed-over the cheque of USD 15.46 million to the UNOSSC Director, Jorge Chediek.
The UNOSSC in a statement said, the India-UN Development Partnership Fund is managed by the UNOSSC and is implemented under the leadership of partner developing countries leveraging the strengths of United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes.
The tranche of USD 15.46 million includes USD 6 million to the overall fund, in which all developing countries are eligible for partnership, and USD 9.46 million dedicated to Commonwealth countries.
“The India-UN Fund has accomplished remarkable results in its initial years,” said Jorge Chediek, Director of UNOSSC and Envoy of the Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation, adding that, “India’s renewed commitment to continue growing the fund, its portfolio of impactful projects and its partnership network is true South-South solidarity and a demonstration India’s leadership in combatting the challenges facing the world’s most vulnerable.”
Since the funds’ inception in 2017 to this day, 55 projects and proposals have been approved with a total contribution of USD 41.8 million towards a USD 150 million multi-year pledge to the India-UN Development Partnership Fund.
The UNOSSC further said that, the call for solidarity among countries of the South has found a magnified echo in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As developing countries across the world struggle to prevent their achievements in public health, poverty reduction and social wellbeing from being set back, the need for mutual support and cooperation is greater than ever, it added.
-RJV
