Chair, Honourable Ministers, Excellencies,
I am delighted to participate, on behalf of the External Affairs Minister of India, in today's Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting.
I congratulate the Chair, H.E. Lord Tariq Ahmed, Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom for successfully hosting this meeting.
As we meet today, we find that we continue to battle the pandemic. More than 18 months into this unprecedented disruption, we are still grappling with the unknown and the unexpected. The pandemic and its fallout pose the most serious challenge to policymakers in a generation and more. Governance structures, national and international, have been and are being, subjected to unprecedented stress.
The events of the past year have clearly demonstrated how imperative it is for all countries to coordinate responses to the various challenges that the pandemic has brought to the fore. In this context, the significance of the Commonwealth, home to 2.4 billion people, and representing 54 countries, which include both advanced economies and developing countries, cannot be overemphasised.
For its part, India has risen to the challenge and in the spirit of global solidarity, has provided COVID-19 related support, including pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and vaccines, to more than 150 countries across the world over the last year. We appreciate the support extended to us by several other countries to battle the second wave of the pandemic in India, in the same spirit of solidarity.
I am pleased to convey that we continue to extend COVID-19 related assistance to countries in our neighbourhood and beyond, particularly those that have seen a surge in COVID-19 cases recently. I am also pleased to announce that at the recently held CoWIN Global Conclave, in which more than 140 countries participated, India offered to make its indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccination digital platform CoWIN an open source platform, a global public good available to all countries.
In order to address vaccine inequity and promote the interests of the developing world, several of whom are members of the Commonwealth, India, along with South Africa, has proposed the TRIPS waiver for vaccine production in developing countries. While this issue is being deliberated in the WTO, we stand ready to partner with interested countries for the transfer of technology and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines indigenously developed in India.
Under the Quad framework, we are also partnering with Australia, Japan and the United States to expand the vaccine manufacturing capacity in India, to assist countries in the Indo-Pacific region, again several of whom are Small Island Sates and members of the Commonwealth. We are proactively considering cooperation in critical areas of genomic surveillance and clinical trials.
India has taken the initiative to conduct customized COVID-19 specific training programmes for several countries, including Commonwealth Member States, to build the capacity of healthcare professionals and administrators. We are also making available COVID-19 mitigation technologies, solutions and products, including cost-effective test kits, indigenously developed in India for supply to the rest of the world.
On the domestic front, we are implementing our vaccination programme successfully, having administered an overwhelming 750 million doses so far, with a record-breaking 10 million doses in a single day.
Excellencies,
As predominant amongst the concerns of the world the COVID pandemic may be, it is unfortunately not the only daunting challenge of our times. Addressing climate change too deserves our focussed attention. Much like the pandemic, climate change does not respect either physical or political boundaries, thereby necessitating a globally co-ordinated response.
In this regard, we welcome the United Kingdom’s initiative to draw attention to climate change related issues among the Commonwealth in the run up to the COP 26 later this year. I am pleased to convey that India is not only meeting its Paris Agreement targets, but also exceeding them and has pioneered initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, both of which bring several Commonwealth members within their fold.
As a reliable partner in the developmental journey of the global South and in recognition of the special needs of Small States, India continues to support the Commonwealth Small States Trade Finance Facility (CSSTFF). As a follow up to the announcement made by the Prime Minister of India at CHOGM 2018, India has since opened a ‘Commonwealth Sub Window’ of 50 Million US$ to provide grants-in-aid to Commonwealth members for projects related to UN SDGs and Climate Action. It is very encouraging to note that several projects have already been approved under this initiative.
In a similar vein of protecting and promoting the interests of Small States and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and as an indication of our support for Commonwealth’s development agenda, India has recently more than doubled its support to the Commonwealth Small States Offices Program in New York and Geneva.
Excellencies,
For the Commonwealth to be an effective stakeholder in navigating contemporary global challenges, it needs to adopt an approach that is inclusive, transparent and anchored in reformed multilateralism. The re-imagined post-pandemic world will make profoundly different demands from the Commonwealth, which must evolve accordingly so as to be fit for purpose and capable of inspiring confidence in its ability to effectively meet those demands.
We look forward to the early convening of the Commonwealth Leaders’ Summit in Kigali. We wish Rwanda all success in this endeavour.
Let us renew our pledges and work collectively to re-energise and re-invigorate the Commonwealth, forging a constructive and effective response to the challenges of our times. I assure you of my country’s full support and cooperation in this endeavour.
I thank you.