Success of humanity lies not in the battlefield: PM Modi at UN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the “success of humanity lies in our collective strength, not on the battlefield”.

He was addressing the UN Summit of the Future held against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Modi said he was representing 140 crore people or one-sixth of humanity. He stressed the need for having a human-centric approach. “When we are discussing global future, we must accord the highest priority to a human-centric approach. While prioritising sustainable development, we must ensure welfare, food and health security,” he said.

He mentioned how India had lifted 25 crore citizens out of poverty, saying that the country had demonstrated that sustainable development could be a success.

“We are ready to share this success with the entire Global South community,” said Modi.

In August, India had hosted the third Global South summit in the digital format, which was attended by 129 countries.

While briefing about the proceedings of the summit then, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said, “As we go to New York to attend the UN General Assembly summit, we feel much more confident about seeking reforms in UN bodies. It is more like solidarity of countries (of Global South) with similar thoughts”. Jaishankar will address the UNGA later this week.