Making a strong pitch for India's inclusion as a permanent member of United Nations Security Council, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said "reform in the responses, in the processes, and in the very character of the United Nations is the need of the hour" and wondered as to how long India with its unique contribution to the UN will be "kept out of the decision-making structures" of the world body.
Addressing the 75th United Nations General Assembly in Hindi through video-conferencing, the Prime Minister said that the international community is faced with a very important question about the relevance of United Nations as the "requirements and challenges" of the present as well as the future are vastly different from those when the world body was constituted in 1945.
"Reform in the responses, in the processes, and in the very character of the United Nations is the need of the hour. For how long will India be kept out of the decision-making structures of the United Nations?," PM Modi asked.
"This is a country, which has hundreds of languages, hundreds of dialects, many sects, and many ideologies; This is a country, which was a leading global economy for centuries and also one which has endured hundreds of years of foreign rule. How long would a country have to wait particularly when the transformational changes happening in that country affect a large part of the world?" he asked.
Barring China, all other four permanent members of the UNSC have expressed support for India's candidature for a permanent seat in the security council.
Modi said that every Indian, while seeing the contribution of India in the United Nations, aspires for India's expanded role in the body.
He also referred to India's contributions to about 50 UN peace missions over the decades.
"India has always given priority to the welfare of the whole world. India is the country, which sent its brave soldiers to about 50 peacekeeping missions the world over to keep peace. India is that country, which in the course of maintaining peace, has lost the maximum number of its brave soldiers Today every Indian, while seeing the contribution of India in the United Nations, aspires for India's expanded role in the United Nations," he said.
He called for a "serious introspection of the work of the United Nations" as there have been several wars, terrorist attacks which shook the world.
The Prime Minister said in these wars and in these attacks, the people who died, "they are people just like you and me".
"The world of 1945 was significantly different from today's world. In the 21st century, the requirements and challenges of our present, as well as our future, are vastly different from those of the past," he said.
He said there are also several instances that point to the need for a serious introspection of the work of the United Nations.
"One could say that we have successfully avoided a third World War. But we cannot deny that there have been several wars, and many more civil wars. Several terrorist attacks shook the world and rivers of blood have continued to flow by. In these wars and in these attacks, the people who died, they are people just like you and me. Hundreds and thousands of children, who would have otherwise enriched this world with their presence, have left us prematurely," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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