The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : `India has faith in UN's role in maintaining peace'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 27, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

`India has faith in UN's role in maintaining peace'

Staff Reporter

United Nations Day celebrated at Madras Christian College

TAMBARAM: Speakers at a function held at Madras Christian College, Tambaram, on the occasion of United Nations Day on Tuesday recalled the contributions of India to the world body and the need to make changes in it.

The function was organised by the Indian Federation of UN Associations and the Tamil Nadu Federation of UN Associations.

Speaking on the occasion, B.S. Raghavan, former Policy Advisor, UN (Food and Agriculture Organisation), said the new Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki Moon, should give priority to streamlining the administration of the world body, act as a bridge between the Security Council and the General Assembly, and also evolve a mechanism to ensure that the resolutions passed are effectively implemented.

Mr. Raghavan said the new Secretary General should assume the role of the Chief Executive Officer of UN and act as a bridge between the Security Council and the General Assembly, adding that till now his role included only convening meetings and attending to routine matters.

The former IAS officer also called upon the new Secretary General to put into place a new mechanism that would ensure that all the resolutions passed by the world body were implemented.

"Several hundred resolutions are passed by the UN but are not implemented," he said.

Governor Surjit Singh Barnala said India had great faith in the UN's role in maintaining world peace and tranquility.

Cooperation with international organisations was mandated in the constitution, Mr. Barnala said, adding that India had found a prominent place in the UN system, serving in political, economic and even military roles, but a permanent seat with a veto was yet to be attained.

Whatever differences and disputes that member countries have among them, the UN was the only forum for nations to look up to for the removal of difficulties. In resolving these difficulties, confidence of all nations in the UN would rise, Mr. Barnala said.

The UN should have the moral backing of every citizen in the world, he added.

Ram Nivas Mirdha, President, Indian Federation of UN Associations and former Union Minister, said India's contributions to the UN were important and its commitment total. India's role in peace keeping operations all over the world were exemplary, he said. The number of soldiers belonging to India who had sacrificed their lives in peace keeping operations by the UN was higher than that of any other country, he added.

V. Narayanan of the Tamil Nadu Federation of UN Associations and C. Livingstone, principal in-charge, MCC, spoke on the occasion.

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