Success of humanity lies in our collective strength: Modi at UN Summit

Success of humanity lies in our collective strength, not in the battlefield,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while delivering his address at the United Nations ‘Summit of the Future’ in New York.

Themed around ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’, the summit saw the participation of a large number of world leaders.

Stating that reform is the key to relevance, Modi said, “For global peace and development, reforms in global institutions are essential.”

He said that granting the African Union permanent membership in the G20 at the summit in New Delhi last year was an important step in that direction.

Sharing that on one hand terrorism continues to be a serious threat to global peace and security, areas such as cyber, maritime and space, are emerging as new theatres of conflict. “On all these issues,” Modi said, “global action must match global ambition.”

Modi said there is also a need for balanced regulation for the safe and responsible use of technology.

“We need global digital governance, which ensures that national sovereignty and integrity are upheld. Digital public infrastructure should be a bridge, not a barrier. For global good, India is ready to share its digital public infrastructure with the entire world,” Modi added.

Referring to his win in the general election held in India in June, Modi said that it was the largest such election in human history, and that people of India have given him the opportunity to serve them for a third consecutive term.

Modi also emphasized on according “the highest priority to a human-centric approach” to growth.”

“While prioritizing sustainable development, we must also ensure human welfare, food and health security,” he said.

The UN summit concluded with the adoption of a ‘Pact for the Future’ that includes a ‘Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.’

The pact is the culmination of an inclusive, years-long process to adapt international cooperation to the realities of today and the challenges of tomorrow. The most wide-ranging international agreement in many years, covering entirely new areas as well as issues on which agreement has not been possible in decades, the pact aims above all to ensure that international institutions can deliver in the face of a world that has changed dramatically since they were created, a UN statement said.