Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 18 INDIA’S 77TH REPUBLIC DAY January 30, 2026 India @United Nations: Celebrating Spirit Of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ On World Stage F or all Indians in any part of the world, Republic Day celebrations honor India’s Constitution and democratic values. They also honor its motto of Satyamev Jayate (Truth Triumphs), and its guiding principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (TheWhole World is One Big Family). INDIA AND THE UNITED NATIONS – India’s principle of Va- sudhaiva Kutumbakam, is at the heart of its involvement with the United Nations (UN) that started even before it became an independent nation. When the UN was established 80 years ago, India became a founding member even though it was still a colony of Britain because of the promise it held for the world emerging from the devastation ofWorldWar II and the hopes for the future. Although it became free only in 1947, India signed the Declaration by UN atWashington, D.C., on January 1, 1942. Afterwards, India signed the UN Charter at the UN Conference on International Organization in San Francisco on June 26, 1945. India’s strong belief and adherence to its guiding principle has been evident most prominently at the UN, in its actions for the international community. Rooted in the principle of treating the whole world as family is also India’s commitment to multilateralism and dia- logue as key to achieving shared goals and addressing common challenges faced by the global community. To make this a reality, India has made the biggest contribution to the peacekeeping operations, created a unique development fund with the UN, emerged as the voice of the Global South and a promoter of gender equality. WOMEN AT THE UN – One of India’s most remarkable contributions to its UN family has been in regard to women, be it as the first President of the UN General Assembly or as the upholder of Human Rights and gen- der equality, or as peacekeepers working in the midst of war and strife, protecting and building lives. Women Diplomats – Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was the first woman to be elected President of the United Na- tions General Assembly in 1953, breaking a glass ceiling even before that became a common theme. Hansa Mehta, as the Indian delegate on the UN Hu- man Rights Commission in 1947–48, was responsible for changing the language of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from “all men are created equal” to “all human beings”, highlighting the need for gender equality. Lakshmi Menon, India’s delegate to the Third Com- mittee in 1948, argued forcefully in favor of nondiscrim- ination based on sex and “the equal rights of men and women” in the in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. WOMEN PEACEKEEPERS – India has long been a strong advocate for the meaningful participation of women in UN peacekeeping. India has deployed women in both military and police capacities since 1960s, with first deployment of Indian women medical officers to the Congo. India’s External Affairs Ministry (EAM) numbers India’s deployment of women peacekeepers to over 150, serving across six critical missions, including those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Leba- non, Golan Heights, Western Sahara, and Abyei. In 2007 India deployed the first-ever all-female Formed Police Unit to Liberia, empowering Liberian women to become more actively involved in their nation’s security sectors, resulting in increased female participation over time. In 2023, Major Radhika Sen was honored as the “Military Gender Advocate of the Year 2023” by UN Headquarters, acknowledging the significant impacts Indian women have made in UN peacekeeping efforts. Advocating for developing countries – Since its inception, India has played a major role in the UN struggle against colonialism and apartheid, becoming a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77. It was India who raised the issue of racial discrimination in South Africa at the UN in 1946. India was one of the first signatories on the Convention on Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination. India thus became a strong advocate for the devel- oping countries and their concerns, articulating the economic concerns of developing countries in UN- sponsored conferences including the triennial UN Conference on Trade and Development and the 1992 Conference on the Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. As a leading member of the G-77, G-15, G20 and BRICS groups of nations, India has articulated the voice of the Global South at the UN. Issues of environmentally sustainable development and the promotion and protection of human rights have been important focus of India’s foreign policy in UN’s international forums. INDIA-UN DEVELOPMENT FUND – In its commitment to global development, India has set up the $150 million India-UN Development Fund to help other developing countries. In a unique feature, this fund, unlike the other so- called development agencies of other countries, lets the recipient nations decide what they want, instead of telling them what to do. The Fund focuses on least developed countries and small island developing nations. But others, especially those from the Commonwealth, are also among the more than 20 countries that have benefited from it. The projects funded through this unique UN partner- ship range from health, alternative energy and climate resilience to technology, business development and education. India also shares its expertise in development, tech- By Archana Adalja PHOTO:PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE PHOTO:COURTESY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA PHOTO.LI- CENSED UNDERTHE GOVERNMENT OPEN DATA LICENSE. PHOTO:UN PHOTO PHOTO:UN PHOTO PM addressing at ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA on September 23, 2024. Glimpses of 76th Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path, in New Delhi on January 26, 2025. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (left) at the UN in 1953. Left to Right: Angela Jurdak (Lebanon), Fryderyka Kalinowski (Poland), Bodgil Begtrup (Denmark), Minerva Bernardino (Dominican Republic), and Hansa Mehta (India), delegates to the Sub-commission on the Status of Women, New York, May 1946. - Continued On Page 20