New Delhi, Sept 20: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves for New York tomorrow to attend the United Nations General Assembly session on Saturday where India will push for reforms of the Security Council to reflect current realities and early adoption of a convention on terrorism that will provide a global framework to fight the menace.
Singh, who will be accompanied by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, would represent India at the high-level segment of the General Assembly on Saturday and deliver his address.
During the session, India, along with other members of the G-4 (Brazil, Japan and Germany), will work to push for reforms of the UNSC at the earliest for robust international security and peacekeeping operations. The G4 members are keen on getting permanent membership of the UNSC.
Currently, India and Germany are non-permanent members of the Security Council.
As the session takes places at a time of continuing global economic and financial uncertainties, India, as an emerging major economy, will reaffirm its commitment to working with the UN on furthering global economic and fiscal stability and balanced growth.
There is no meeting scheduled between Singh and US President Barack Obama, who is scheduled to leave New York before the Prime Minister's arrival.
However, Singh, who is attending the UNGA after a gap of two years, is likely to have meetings with others heads of state or government, officials said.
The officials said India's priorities in the current session of the UNGA would include continuing its efforts for reform of the world body with a view to creating an equitable system that is reflective of contemporary realities.
“We feel that unless comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council is undertaken, the process of UN reforms would only be piecemeal and incomplete.
“We along with the G-4 and other like-minded countries would continue to work proactively, to maintain the momentum for UN Security Council reforms,” Mathai had said on Saturday, while briefing reporters about the visit. During the session, India will push for an early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) that will provide a global normative framework against terrorism.
Officials said the country will reiterate the need for strong international cooperation and collective action against terrorism.
India would call for greater mobilisation of resources, including honouring of ODA commitments, and policy action for attaining the MDGs.
The country will also actively engage with UN member states on human rights issues and to strengthen the UN's humanitarian operations.
India will also be actively participating in the UN high-level event on Nuclear Safety and Security which will be held on September 22.
On the sidelines, the G4 countries would meet to work out a common plan of action. PTI
