PM: Covid crisis provides chance for ‘rebirth’ of UN
Even as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in
India crossed the 10 lakh mark on Friday and it now stands third after America and Brazil in terms of number of confirmed cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his keynote address at the United Nations Economic and Social Council Sess-ion (UNECOSOC) said that the country has one of the best recovery rates in the world and helped over 150 countries during the pandemic. Reiterating his call for reforming international organisations to reflect the current geopolitics of the world, Mr Modi also said the Covid-19 pandemic provides a chance for the “rebirth and reform” of the United Nations which was originally born in the wake of Second World War.
Addressing the UN event via a video link, the Prime Minister said that the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the UN is an opportunity to assess its role and relevance in today's world.
Since the UN now brings together 193 member countries and along with its membership, the expectations from the organisation have also grown, he said.
At the same time, multilateralism is facing many challenges, he said in the address — his first since India was overwhelmingly elected as a non-permanent member of the powerful Security Council last month.
“India firmly believes that the path to achieve sustainable peace and prosperity is through multilateralism...However, multilateralism needs to represent the reality of the contemporary world,” he said.