6. Building Global Security requires the international community to come together and forcefully combat the use of terror as state policy by countries as well as root out safe havens for terrorists. This requires action at the global level through a CCIT and through multilateral cooperation in every region affected by terror. There must be concerted action by security forces, and political consensus that terrorism as a means is not justified by any ends. Improved governance is a common goal of all of us but ending terrorism has to take priority in operational terms.

7. Afghanistan is currently in the process of transition and transformation in a region which is the epicenter of world terrorism. Virtually all dangerous acts of terrorism in the world recently, can be traced  back to the Af-Pak region. Any perception of lack of will on the part of the international community to deal firmly with terrorist groups will risk Afghanistan sliding back to being a safe haven for terrorist and extremist groups that threaten the region and beyond. During his visit to Afghanistan in May 2011, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh announced additional assistance of US $ 500 million, over and above the existing commitments of US $ 1.5 billion. India’s assistance programme is spread across Afghanistan and spans almost the entire gamut of economic and social developmental activities from schools and hospitals to trade, power lines and hydro-electric projects. Construction of Afghanistan's new Parliament building, a symbol of the common commitment of both countries to pluralism and democracy, is also progressing.

9. The AfPak region is faced with problems not only of conventional terrorism but also the danger of proliferation and nuclear security.  So let me take Nuclear Security as a second item. On 26-27 March 2012, 53 countries and four international organizations, namely the UN, IAEA, EU and NATO, attended the Second Nuclear Security Summit at Seoul, South Korea. The Summit focused on one of the foremost challenges of our times; the danger of nuclear explosives, materials and technology falling into the hands of terrorists. The Final Communiqué of the Summit listed nuclear terrorism as one of the most challenging threats to international security. Prime Minister of India attended the Summit in Seoul, as he did in Washington D.C. in 2010. During the Seoul Summit, Prime Minister emphasized that nuclear terrorism and clandestine proliferation continue to pose serious threat to international security. He announced a contribution of $ 1 million for IAEA’s Nuclear Security Fund. Clandestine Nuclear proliferation is one of the gravest threats to global security as it enables this greatly destructive technology to fall into the hands of irresponsible actors. India shares and supports the non-proliferation objectives of the international community. We have an impeccable non-proliferation record and have in place a stringent export control system in line with the highest international standards.

12. Today’s pirates are not swashbuckling raiders of the past but trained fighters aboard speedboats, equipped with satellite phones and global positioning systems, armed with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades. According to the International Maritime Organisation almost 90% of world trade is transported by sea. The continuing threat of piracy raises the cost of trade directly and indirectly. Examples of direct effects are robbery and ransom payments, losses of ships and cargo and additional pay for crews. Indirect effects are the security costs incurred in the fight against piracy and higher insurance premiums in the dangerous areas. The cost of trade is further pushed up by the need to take longer alternative routes to avoid pirate infested sea-lanes and the need for convoys and naval protection. The threat posed by piracy attacks to maritime traffic and seafarers continues to be a major problem. As a result of these challenges, many ships have begun to hire armed guards as a deterrent for would-be attackers. However, there is not yet a process or an internationally accepted regulatory framework for regulating these guards, creating legal complications. Presently, there are around 27 Indian seafarers in the captivity of pirates. Their well-being and early release is a priority for our government. The numbers are not surprising as one out of every 10-12 merchant mariners, on any ship, is an Indian, irrespective of the flag of the ship. Some countries believe the problem is limited to Somalia and the waters nearby and insurance companies don’t seem to be complaining.  As Adenauer said “wir leben alle unter – dem gleichen Himmel aber wir haben nicht alle den gleichen Horizont” (We all live under the same sky but do not have the same horizon or perspective). But the seas are open and everybody is getting affected; recent incidents have highlighted the need for international cooperation to evolve a common strategy to combat the global scourge of piracy at sea. The international community has of course taken a number of steps to tackle piracy since Somali pirates emerged as a threat to international maritime security four years ago. In 2008, the UN Security Council passed a series of measures targeting Somali piracy, culminating in the unanimous approval of US-led Resolution 1851. The move authorized states with navies deployed in the Gulf of Aden to take action against pirates and armed robbers within Somalia. India has committed its full support to international anti-piracy efforts. Our Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since October 2008. Our naval ships provide security escorts to both Indian and foreign flagged ships. We participate actively in the anti-piracy efforts of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. We believe that a more robust strategy is required to effectively deal with the problem of piracy. Such a strategy should involve an UN-led anti-piracy force to conduct naval operations. This would help in greater coordination of anti-piracy operations by various naval forces. The shipping industry and national governments must coordinate their response better to combat this resurgent threat of sea piracy.

Reform of UN Security Council

13. International security is a function of the measures taken by nations and international organizations, such as the United Nations, to put in place systems which ensure respect for concerns of countries and lead to mutual survival and safety. These measures include military action and diplomatic agreements such as treaties and conventions. International and national securities are invariably linked. International security is national security or state security in the global arena. In the UN, the Security Council enjoys the unique position among the principal organs of the UN, as it is devoted to the objective maintaining and preserving global peace and security.  It is also bestowed with the unique authority to undertake actions under Chapter VII of the UN Charter with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression to maintain and restore international peace and security.  However, the Security Council has hardly changed since the establishment of the UN in 1945 though the membership of the UN has grown from original 51 members in 1945 to 194 in 2011. Its non-representative character and somewhat opaque working methods have been criticized by the wider membership of the UN. The efforts for the Security Council reform have, however, been thwarted by the lack of consensus which has been thwarted by the veto powers enjoyed by the Permanent Five members over the UNSC reform process and the high procedural bar for reform involving Charter amendments and their subsequent ratification.

15.  India’s claim for permanent membership is based not only on its strong credentials and factors, such as its population, size, GDP, economic potential, civilizational legacy, political system but also contribution to the activities of the UN and its profound conviction that a more representative Council can genuinely contribute to global security.

G-20 and Reform of International Financial Institutions

16. The financial crisis of 2008 which has grown into a global economic crisis clearly impacted on global security – through decreased confidence and a boost to protectionist instincts. The G-20 has thus evolved into an institutional mechanism which can contribute to global security. We believe that the G-20 needs to retain its focus on economic issues and conditions for ushering economic growth worldwide. While the Eurozone difficulties need attention, in the long term it is the recovery of growth worldwide and the reform of international financial institutions that can contribute to a global architecture of governance which enhances security. The creators of the Bretton Woods multilateral system had designed an international economic architecture to deal with the causes of the global financial breakdown in the 1930s and with the economic and security problems they thought would follow World War II. The policy prescriptions of the IMF, be it the Structural Adjustment Programme or the so called “Washington Consensus” as coined by the economist John Williamson in 1989, with the focus, amongst others, on Fiscal policy discipline, Tax reform, Trade liberalization, and aggressive Deregulation often ended up exacerbating the situation in the affected borrowing countries. Many of the painful financial crises in Africa, Latin America, East Asia, Russia, and Turkey have been attributed to the above measures. It has been argued that a greater voice to the developing world in International Financial Institutions would have allowed for modulating policies, which would have been in consonance with the requirements of developing countries. Reform of the Bretton Woods Institutions, by enhancing the voice and participation of the developing world in these International Financial Institutions would, we believe, make an important contribution in building Global Security.

India’s role and collaboration with other developing countries

17.India stood shoulder to shoulder with the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America as they fought for political freedom from colonial yoke. Once this fundamental freedom was attained, India shifted focus aiding fellow countries in their social development and capacity building, even within the constraints of India itself being a developing country. Towards this end, the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme was instituted by a decision of the Indian Cabinet on 15 September 1964 as a bilateral programme of assistance of the Government of India. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who also served as the External Affairs Minister, was the main architect of the ITEC programme though it actually came into being after his lifetime. After their independence, the most important task facing the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America was the promotion of social and economic advancement of their people which had been retarded and in most cases reversed during the years of colonial rule. Skilled manpower and experts, financial resources and transfer of technology were the bottlenecks to be overcome. To meet the challenges of socio-economic development, cooperative efforts of the developing countries were as important as assistance from developed countries and international organizations. India has made substantial progress and gained useful experience in industrial and technological development after it regained its freedom in 1947. It has extended assistance for infrastructure, industrial, agricultural and capacity building, programmes in other developing countries particularly in South Asia. These projects along with the wider ITEC schemes are an earnest attempt by India to share the fruits of its socio-economic development and technological achievement with other developing countries. It is about cooperation and partnership for mutual benefit. We hope that such cooperation between countries will go a long way in promoting prosperity and enhancing security in the developing world. We are now seeking to improve the quality of India’s assistance program by creating a separate agency within MEA to give specialized attention to the task.

A word about Africa and our development partnerships there

18.With growing economic dynamism in India, India’s efforts have concentrated on enhancing economic development as the best antidote to poverty which is an issue connected to global security. Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, visited Ethiopia in May 2011 to participate in the Second Africa-India Forum Summit at Addis Ababa – Ethiopia, the seat of the African Union. The Addis Ababa Declaration and the Framework for Enhanced Cooperation, adopted in 2011, bring out clearly the striking convergence of views between India and Africa, not only on bilateral matters, but also on issues such as UN reforms, Africa’s place in world affairs, climate change, and countering of terrorism. It may be recalled that in April 2008, our Prime Minister hosted the first historic India Africa Forum Summit, in Delhi that heralded the commencement of institutionalized interaction with Africa, injecting new momentum into an old relationship. The political will and commitment to build ties afresh with Africa have thus been on display in abundance. I believe that the collaboration between India and countries in Africa will have a salubrious role in enhancing stability in both the regions and contribute to mutual security.