United Nations | Amid the ongoing Ukraine and Gaza conflicts, India on Saturday cautioned that the world cannot be “fatalistic" about the continuation of violence on a large scale, asserting that the international community seeks "urgent solutions" and its sentiments must be acknowledged and acted upon.
“We are gathered here at a difficult time. The world is yet to recover from the ravages of the Covid pandemic. A war in Ukraine is well into its third year. The conflict in Gaza is acquiring wider ramifications,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at the General Debate of the 79th UN General Assembly.
He said the UN has always maintained that peace and development go hand-in-hand. “Yet, when challenges to one have emerged, due regard has not been given to the other. Clearly, their economic implications for the weak and vulnerable need to be highlighted," Jaishankar said.
“But we must also recognise that conflicts themselves must be resolved. The world cannot be fatalistic about the continuation of violence on a large scale, no more than be impervious to its broader consequences,” he said.
Jaishankar said whether it is the war in Ukraine or the conflict in Gaza, the international community seeks "urgent solutions" and “these sentiments must be acknowledged and acted upon”.
India lamented that across the Global South, development plans have gone off rails and SDG targets are receding.
“But there is more. Unfair trade practices threaten jobs, just as unviable projects raise debt levels. Any connectivity that flouts sovereignty and territorial integrity acquires strategic connotations. Especially when it is not a shared endeavour,” Jaishankar said, in an apparent reference to China.
He said the world stands fractious, polarised and frustrated.
“Conversations have become difficult; agreements even more so. This is surely not what the founders of the United Nations would have wanted of us,” the minister said.
He said trust has eroded and processes have broken down. “Countries have extracted more from the international system than they have put into it, enfeebling it in the process.”
Jaishankar highlighted that an important cause of many getting left behind has been the unfairness of the current globalisation model.
“Over-concentration of production has hollowed out many economies, impacting their employment and social stability...Democratising global production, building resilient supply chains, ensuring trusted digital services, and espousing an open-source culture, all these promote widespread prosperity. There are economic answers, just as there are social ones,” he said.
Jaishankar said the UN is a testimony to the agreed principles and shared objectives of the world order, and respect for international law and commitments are among the foremost in that regard.
"If we are to ensure global security and stability, then it is essential that those who seek to lead, set the right example. Nor can we countenance egregious violations of our basic tenets,” he said.
