Terrorism is a global threat for peace, development says India at UN; Calls for comprehensive international anti-terrorism convention

India has called for discrediting those opposing the expansion of the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council and denying Africa’s rightful place.  The charge d’affaires of India’s UN Mission, R. Ravindra said Africa’s continued denial of representation in the permanent category of membership is a blot on the collective credibility of this council.  He was speaking at the High-Level Open Debate on Peace building and Sustaining Peace convened by the Council’s president Sierra Leone. 

 Mr Ravindra asserted that India has always called for permanent African representation in an expanded Council and supports the African consensus demanding two permanent seats and increasing the elected seats for the continent from three to five.  He pointed out that nearly 70 percent of the Council’s mandates for peacekeeping are for Africa. Speaking at the High-Level Open Debate, charge d’affaires of India’s UN Mission said, terrorism is a global threat, not only to peace and security but also to development. 

 He reiterated India’s call for a comprehensive international anti-terrorism convention. He said, given the importance of development for peace-building, India has extensive development partnerships with countries in the Global South and the cumulative value of its developmental projects now exceeds 40 billion dollars.  He added that at the third Voice of the Global South virtual Summit hosted by India last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a comprehensive global development compact. Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Alhaji Musa Timothy Kabba, who presided over the meeting, warned the world remains on fire from both national and international conflicts” and it was fueled by a complex interplay of geopolitical tensions, economic disparities, climate change, and the proliferation of weapons.