New York: Highlighting India's contribution towards strengthening South-South cooperation. India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Parvathaneni Harish, has said that New Delhi has consistently championed the cause of the Global South.

Delivering India's statement on UN Day for South-South Cooperation, Harish stated that South-South Cooperation offers the potential to build stronger ties among countries of the Global South, fostering mutual growth and addressing shared concerns.

India's Representative at UN said, "Guided by its philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or envisioning the world as one family, India has consistently championed the cause of the Global South. In our increasingly interconnected world, where global challenges recognize no borders, cooperation among nations has never been more vital."

"South-South cooperation in particular offers the potential to build stronger ties among countries of the Global South, fostering mutual growth and addressing shared concerns. India's commitment to the India UNDP Fund and the IBSA Fund, along with our colleagues from Brazil and South Africa, is an example of our dedication to fostering global development and creating a more equitable and sustainable world for all. These funds have been playing a pivotal role in advancing sustainable development goals through South-South cooperation," he added.

He stated that the India-UNDP fund, with a corpus of USD 150 million, has already supported 82 projects in 60 countries since 2017. He said that the IBSA fund of over USD 53 million has supported 46 projects across 35 countries for over 20 years.

He said, "The funds support a broad spectrum of developmental areas, including, but not limited to health, education, gender equality, access to clean water, alleviating hunger, and environmental sustainability."

The IBSA facility for poverty and hunger alleviation (IBSA Fund) was established jointly by India, Brazil and South Africa in March 2004 and became operational in 2006.

Parvathaneni Harish stated that these two funds provide a platform for member states to identify their own specific development needs and priorities, thus making projects to their unique circumstances.

He said, "This approach ensures that the assistance provided through these funds aligns closely with the development objectives of partner countries and, most importantly, respecting their sovereignty and ownership over the projects. The commitment of the funds to the principles of inclusiveness, flexibility and sustainability has demonstrated a path towards achieving the SDGs, even in the face of daunting challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic."

"Our special focus has also been to better integrate the perspectives of developing countries, including LDCs, LLDCs and SIDs, and to strengthen the voice of developing countries in global decision making. Therefore, SIDs get a major share of the development assistance with 70 projects, followed by LLDC with 51 projects," he added.

Highlighting India's support for Global South, he said, "In terms of geography, we have 48 projects in Africa, 32 projects in the Asia-Pacific and 41 projects in the LAC region. We are happy about our progressive involvement in the growth story and particularly thank the UN implementing agencies, the UNOSSC, for being our extended arm of friendship to the Global South partners."

He said that the world faces immense and complex challenges while resources remain limited. He stressed that initiatives like the India UN Development Partnership Fund and the IBSA fund serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for the international community.

"It shows that when countries come together with a shared vision and a commitment to making the world a better place, remarkable progress can be achieved. We thank the UN agencies for their support as we move forward on our collective journey towards a more sustainable and equitable world," Parvathaneni Harish said.

Earlier on September 10, Parvathaneni Harish called on incoming UNGA President Philemon Yang and assured India's full support for his presidency.

Taking to X, the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York stated, "#IndiaAtUN PR @AmbHarishP called on incoming President of General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang today. PR assured India's full support for his Presidency and conveyed his best wishes."

Earlier, Parvathaneni Harish, who has been recently appointed as India's Permanent Representative to the UN, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In a post on X, the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York stated, "#IndiaAtUN@AmbHarishP presented his credentials as India's Permanent Representative to the @UNto UN Secretary General H.E @antonioguterres. Glimpses of the ceremony."

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