United Nations, Feb 2: India has experienced “remarkable transformation” in the last decade, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang has said, underlining that his upcoming visit to the country will give him an opportunity to see how digital and technological innovation has “fuelled this change”.
Yang will visit India from February 4 to 8, his first official visit to the country as President of the 79th session of the UNGA. “As the world’s largest democracy, the fifth-largest economy and home to one-fifth of humanity, India is an important member of the United Nations,” Yang told PTI in an exclusive interview ahead of his trip.
Responding to a question on the visit’s focus, Yang said he looks forward to “understanding, more deeply, India’s priorities and vision for the future of multilateralism.” During the visit, he will engage with Indian leadership, including President Droupadi Murmu and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar.
Recalling that he had visited India in 2013 as Prime Minister of Cameroon, Yang said that since then, India has experienced a “remarkable transformation” and he expects the visit to give him the “opportunity to see how digital and technological innovation has fuelled this change, all the way to the grassroots level.
“The visit will also serve to highlight the importance of information sharing and capacity building in advancing sustainable development in the Global South. India has in many respects led the way through its South-South cooperation,” Yang said in the written interview.
Yang said his message “to the people of India, and particularly to the young people of India, is one of confidence and ambition. Confidence in the extraordinary work achieved and ambition in that there is always more work to do, collectively, to make our world a better place.
“For that reason, I would like to encourage them to continue spearheading efforts in harnessing innovation while also celebrating their rich culture and heritage. “As the world’s largest population, the people of India have a huge stake in the work of the United Nations, in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and in ensuring that -indeed- no one is left behind. I therefore look forward to seeing India’s continued engagement and leadership within the UN,” Yang said.
Yang began his year-long tenure as President of the 193-member General Assembly in September last year at the commencement of the 79th UNGA session.
As PGA, his priorities include peace and security in Africa, combatting illicit use of small arms and light weapons, eliminating child labour, and turbocharging the SDGs, through digitalisation.
Given his focus on digitalisation and how it can advance SDGs, Yang said he is particularly keen to see how India is using digital technology to improve the lives of its people, especially in the health sector.
In this connection, Yang said he will be visiting a District Vaccine Store in Gautam Buddha Nagar in Uttar Pradesh and meet with health workers to understand the role of some of these digital public infrastructure (DPI) tools.
“I am told the Co-WIN platform was instrumental in delivering two billion doses to India during the COVID-19 pandemic (I have heard it being referred to as the “digital backbone” of the vaccination programme in response to the pandemic).”
When asked to highlight three areas where India’s contributions to the multilateral system stand out, Yang then listed India’s contribution to peacekeeping, efforts as a first responder in numerous humanitarian emergencies and being a strong voice of the Global South. (PTI)
