00:01Mr. President, given the state of the world, each member of the UN must ask themselves what they can do.
00:11Insofar as India is concerned, its inclusive growth and all-round progress has advanced the prospects of one-sixth of
00:19humanity.
00:20When health, nutrition, and education are effectively delivered, when drinking water, electricity, roads, and housing are ensured, this veritably lifts
00:33the global SDG outcomes.
00:36But today, India has much more than that to offer.
00:40Our digital public infrastructure is not only ensuring better governance, but is the backbone of delivering socioeconomic benefits.
00:51Rapid growth of infrastructure is visible across all its dimensions.
00:57A continuously improving ease of doing business, ease of living, startup and innovation culture, and focused sectoral missions have all
01:08contributed to our economic story.
01:10Even as India progresses, we are conscious of our global responsibilities.
01:17We know that many of our experiences and achievements are replicable elsewhere.
01:23The deep solidarity of the global south has always encouraged us to share what we have.
01:31Therefore, we respond more actively to the requirements of our partners.
01:36600 major Indian development projects in 78 nations testify to our commitment, a commitment that ranges from infrastructure, manufacturing, and
01:48agriculture, to IT, and to capacity building.
01:53Climate action projects and initiatives have been an important part of these endeavors.
02:00Whether it is clean energy and clean water projects, sustainable agriculture, or the dissemination of best practices and technology, our
02:10capabilities and experiences have been reflected abroad.
02:14African nations and small island developing states have been our preferred partners in this journey.
02:23Initiatives like the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, or the Global Biofuel Alliance are all making
02:34steady progress.
02:36Mr. President, the turbulence of our times also demands more from each of us.
02:43India has sent medical shipments to conflict zones, epidemic locations, and after natural disasters.
02:51As a first responder, we were there early, be it the Nepal flash floods or the Venezuela earthquake.
02:59Our limb-fitment camps have given a new hope to many across the world.
03:06Whether to meet food and medicine shortages, energy or fertilizer needs, or indeed creating livelihoods, India has contributed continuously and
03:18will do so.
03:19Our capacity building and experience sharing programs have made a real difference across the global south, especially in Africa.
03:30The same international spirit also inspires our contribution to safeguarding peace.
03:38India has always been at the forefront of UN peacekeeping operations.
03:43Right now, our contingents are present in nine out of 11 mandates.
03:50Our troops have stood their ground firmly and professionally, even under pressure.
03:57We take pride that an Indian woman combat helicopter pilot was awarded the UN 2025 Military Gender Advocate of the
04:08Year.
04:10Mr. President, new challenges in the maritime domain have added to long-standing ones on land.
04:19There have been attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers in the Gulf and from the Red Sea to the Black
04:26Sea.
04:27Indian seafarers have lost their lives, as indeed have others from other nations.
04:34This is completely unacceptable.
04:37India has joined Liberia and 23 other partners in an initiative to rally global public opinion against such unwarranted targeting.
04:49We must ensure that the safety and security of shipping and seafarers is never compromised.
04:57Scrupulously observing international law is an integral element of that endeavor.
05:04An issue central to current global conversations is that of AI.
05:10India hosted the AI Impact Summit this February, gathering together the best minds on that subject.
05:20We view AI as a transformational driver for human empowerment, economic prosperity, and population-scale problem-solving.
05:30We believe in the right of each nation to shape its ecosystem with the development of its own models and
05:41deployment strategies consistent with its national goals and priorities.
05:46AI will be very much part of our partnership agenda with the global salt.
05:54As technology is democratized, this process is greatly facilitated, Mr. President, by an ethos of mutual respect.
06:04Indeed, care and consideration for the interests and viewpoints of others reinforces even the prospects of peace.
06:12And that attitude is best fostered by an appreciation of each other's culture, heritage, and traditions.
06:21In a globalized world, we must continuously and vigorously promote international understanding.
06:29Economic rebalancing is well underway.
06:32The political one is also visible.
06:34And the third facet, cultural rebalancing, must now be taken forward.
06:40Mr. President, we are now well on our way towards a multipolar world.
06:47The post-1945 order is giving way to new realities.
06:53This process of adjustment, accommodation, and acceptance will not be easy.
06:59Much of the turbulence that we witness today emanates from those very difficulties.
07:05Yet, the march of an intrinsically diverse world towards a more democratic future cannot be halted.
07:15Peace, in a pluralistic order, requires civil conversations.
07:21It requires broad-based consultations.
07:24It requires transparent decision-making.
07:27Large sections of humanity cannot be excluded from that process.
07:32The case for reformed multilateralism only gets stronger day after day.
07:40Mr. President, after a decade of service and dedication to the cause of multilateralism,
07:47we will soon bid farewell to Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
07:53India deeply values his many contributions, in particular, his personal support for mission life.
08:01Mr. President, at the conclusion of this general debate, we hope that all participating delegations
08:09leave with a greater commitment to peace, to development, and to prosperity.
08:15This cannot be an imposition or even a negotiation.
08:21It must be a mindset.
08:23It must be an outlook.
08:24It must be a belief.
08:26In the lawns outside this building are recorded the powerful words of Mahatma Gandhi,
08:33and that should serve as an inspiration for these times.
08:37And those words are that there is no way to peace.
08:41Peace is the way.
08:43I thank you.
