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Remarks by MOS at
the Bled Strategic Forum on
‘Global Outlook for the Next Decade’
29/08/2010
Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
I feel privileged to be here with you today for the Bled Strategic
Forum 2010. I am thankful to the organizers, particularly the
Hon’ble Minister for Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, Mr. Samuel Žbogar
for having invited me. India attaches great importance to the Bled
Strategic Forum and that explains why I am here for the second
consecutive year. I look forward to being enriched by the
discussions of this year’s Forum.
If the global outlook for the next decade had to be summarized in
one word, it would be ‘Challenging’ and among the major challenges
which call for global collaboration, the most immediate which would
need to be tackled within the next decade are sustainable
development, energy security, the water challenge and last, but not
the least, international terrorism. Furthermore, these challenges
impact on global development, prosperity and security.
There is an old Indian saying: “The World is one Family” – (Vasudhaiv
Kutumbakam). Indeed the world is linked today and the
inter-dependence leaves us no choice but to find common solutions
for the benefit of mankind. Our natural resources are finite and are
depleting fast. It is imperative that they not only be utilized
judiciously but we also reduce our reliance on them. Decades ago,
the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, had said: “The earth has
enough resources to meet peoples’ needs, but will never have enough
to satisfy peoples’ greed”.
Energy is necessary for the development process and developing
countries require reliable access to competitively priced energy
supplies to plan their economic growth to uplift their citizens out
of poverty. Given their effect on pollution and the dwindling supply
of fossil fuels, it has become imperative for both the developed and
the developing countries to seriously pursue renewable sources of
energy. Simultaneously, efforts should be made to enhance the
efficiency of existing energy systems.
In India, we adopted a National Action Plan to combat Climate Change
which is based on a multi-pronged approach. Our vision is to make
India’s economic development energy-efficient. Over a period of
time, we want to pioneer a graduated shift from economic activity
based on fossil fuels to one based on non-fossil fuels and from
reliance on non-renewable and depleting sources of energy to
renewable sources of energy. In this strategy, the sun occupies
centre-stage, as it should, being literally the original source of
all energy. India plans to pool its scientific, technical and
managerial talents, with sufficient financial resources, to develop
solar energy as the principal source of abundant energy to power our
economy and to transform the lives of our people. Our success in
this endeavour will change the face of India. We hope that it would
also enable India to help change the destinies of people around the
world. We have launched an ambitious Solar mission in January this
year and the aim is to deploy 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022.
While exploring new technologies, we should simultaneously focus on
existing energy technologies also. This focus should be on
efficiency of operations at the plant level, reducing transmission
and distribution losses and use of fuel efficient delivery and
consumption systems.
The challenge of Water is obviously important. Our focus therefore
is to increase the efficiency of water use, exploring efficient
operations to augment water supply and ensure more efficient
management of water resource. The challenge is to ensure optimum
water utilization in both agriculture and industry.
Notwithstanding the fact that India has large river systems, ground
water accounts for nearly 70% of our total available water resource.
Nearly 55% of our irrigation requirements and 50% of urban and
industrial requirements are taken care of by ground water. To
optimize the use of ground water, various measures have been put in
place. In urban areas, mandatory water harvesting and artificial
recharge is in place. Sewage treatment plants are now mandatory for
all industrial and commercial buildings and residential apartments.
These measures have helped in bridging the gap between availability
and requirement and more importantly on recharging the ground water
table.
Climate Change is another major global challenge. India is prepared
to play its role as a responsible member of the international
community and make a contribution to mitigate its impact. India has
engaged actively in multilateral negotiations in the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change, in a positive, constructive and
for¬ward-looking manner. Our common objective should be to establish
an effective, cooperative and equitable global approach based on the
principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and
respective capabilities, enshrined in the UNFCCC.
On our part we are doing all that is possible within the limits of
our resources. Our recent announcement to take a voluntary target of
reducing the emissions intensity of India’s GDP by 20-25% by 2020
together with our commitment that our per capita emissions would
never exceed those of the Developed countries is a manifestation of
the seriousness with which we seek to address the Climate Change
issue.
Terrorism poses a serious danger to any civilized society. It
subverts the economic and financial environment for growth and
deprives ordinary men and women of their basic needs, livelihood and
even their lives. It also necessitates enhanced military and
security expenditure which under more conditions could have been
devoted to tackling the problems of poverty, ignorance and disease.
Having large financial and material resources at their disposal,
terrorist groups are today able to use modern communication systems
and state-of-the-art technology to pursue their agenda. They have
become far more sophisticated, better networked and are also highly
motivated in carrying out their nefarious designs. A matter of
extreme concern is also their linkage with organized crime, like
drug trafficking, gun running, counterfeit currency, and
money-laundering.
Terrorists have no religion or faith. They do not belong to any
community. No community or religion can and should be blamed for
irresponsible and violent acts of a few individuals. Terrorists
break the Law of the land and deprive innocent persons of their
Fundamental Right to live. No cause or grievance can justify
terrorism. The scourge of terrorism must be resolutely opposed, and
measures to combat terrorism have to be comprehensive and sustained.
In this regard there is an urgent need to seek the expeditious
conclusion of negotiations on the Comprehensive Convention on
International Terrorism at the UN, which has been pending in the UN
since 1996. Terrorism knows no borders; hence its solution also has
to transcend boundaries.
It is only the strength of our resolve and the ever expanding
frontiers of our knowledge, supported by science and technology that
can help us meet these challenges. Sharing experiences and best
practices holds the key to addressing them. We may not find all the
solutions, but nevertheless, we should not be found wanting in
spirit of cooperation and sincerity of our purpose. And these are
two of the qualities that the Bled conference has come to be
associated with.
Thank you.
Bled (Slovenia)
August 29, 2010 |
