Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the original aim with which the United Nations was built still remains incomplete as it needs ‘reformed multilateralism’ to address today’s challenges. He was addressing the High-Level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to mark 75 years of the global body.
‘The declaration acknowledges the need for reform in the United Nation itself. You cannot fight today’s challenges with outdated structures,” the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi also said that the UN needs to address the crisis of confidence it currently faces. ‘Without comprehensive reforms, the UN faces a crisis of confidence. For today’s interconnected world, we need a reformed multilateralism that reflects today’s realities,” he said.
Speaking about organisations like the UN Security Council, he said the UN needs to adapt in order to address contemporary challenges which a structure set up in 1945 may not be able to do.
PM Modi while supporting the reforms undertaken by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “We support ongoing reforms by the Secretary-General…We reiterate our call for reforms of three of the principal organs of the UN. We commit to instil new life in the discussions on the reform of the Security Council and continue the work to revitalise the General Assembly and strengthen the Economic and Social Council.”
PM Modi highlighted that India’s own philosophies align with the goals of the United Nations. He said work still needs to be done towards reducing inequality, mitigating conflicts and addressing the threat of climate change.
He also highlighted that India is one of the largest contributors to the UN Peacekeeping Missions. India has assigned over 200,000 troops in 50 of the 71 peacekeeping missions in the last 60 years.
