India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj (Photo: UN)

India-backed landmark resolution on AI safeguards adopted unanimously at UNGA

The unanimity at the UN underscores the fears over AI’s potential to disrupt politics and society through deep fakes and spreading misinformation, and its more sinister capabilities in warfare, development of weapons and disrupting economies.

Pakistan, allies at UN, blocking Global South from getting rightful due at UNSC, says India

The Pakistani representative also introduced a strange element into the discussion, attacking the Council’s designation of international terrorists, claiming that the Council’s actions against terrorists are “arbitrary”.

India assails ‘disguised veto’ at UNSC anti-terrorism panel protecting Pakistan-based terrorists

China has repeatedly blocked the listing of Pakistan-linked terrorists as international terrorists subject to UN sanctions.

World entering an 'age of chaos’, UN needs urgent reforms, says Guterres

Mechanisms that were used to manage superpower relations during the Cold War are missing now, “and so our world is entering an age of chaos” creating “a dangerous and unpredictable ‘free-for-all’ with total impunity”, Guterres warned.

More on UN Watch

UN unanimously backs India’s proposal for monument to honour peacekeepers; highest number of peacekeepers killed are from India

A measure of the unity around paying homage to the peacekeeping heroes was the support of Pakistan, which had moments earlier attacked India at the Assembly on a different issue, but joined in as one of the main co-sponsors of the monument resolution.

US pushing for six UNSC permanent members without veto rights?

The Biden administration supports Germany and Japan in addition to India for permanent seats, and also as yet undetermined representatives of Latin American and African nations. France and Britain also support permanent seats for the three countries and for Brazil, while Russia backs India publicly but not the others.

UN honours three Indian peacekeepers killed in service; India, Bangladesh, Nepal seek accountability for crimes

In December, India launched the Group of Friends to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers with Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal as co-chairs. The group advocates for bringing to justice those committing crimes against peacekeepers.

UN recognition for Bangladesh's Community Clinics

The government has so far established more than 14,000 community clinics in public-private partnerships across the country to provide basic healthcare to the people. 

India will continue to be the 'bright spot' in world economy: UN review

The latest UN report cut the overall growth projects by 0.1 per cent for all of South Asia to 4.7 per cent this year and 5.8 per cent next year. The inflation rates for Pakistan and Sri Lanka are expected to be in the "double digits" due to the weakening of local currencies.

Can UNSC that excludes world’s largest democracy be inclusive, India asks

“Is the UNSC in its present form -- which denies permanent representation to entire continents of Africa, Latin America and the world’s largest democracy – can it be deemed to be ‘inclusive’”, Kamboj asked at an open debate at the Council.

India criticised for attacks on press freedom at UNESCO-sponsored UN event

Earlier, at the 30th Anniversary of the World Press Freedom Day Global Conference, New York Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger got the criticism of India rolling, saying that “in India, authorities have raided newsrooms and treated journalists essentially as terrorists”. 

UNSC condemns Taliban ban on UN women workers in rare unanimity show

The unanimous adoption of the Council resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates and Japan and co-sponsored by about 90 countries underlines the Taliban regime’s international isolation and signals international unity before the Doha meeting.

Abolish veto rights or give them to new permanent members in a reformed UNSC, demands India

The root cause in the view of India and many countries is the architecture of the Council that reflects the post-World War II scenario and gives veto-wielding permanent seats to the five victorious allies - Britain, China, France, the United States and Russia, which hold the seat originally given to the Soviet Union.

Template for reformed Security Council could reflect G20 composition, says Russia

Lavrov said that the United States and the West were against a multipolar world and wanted their dominance to continue.

Whither UN reform? India warns of 'anachronistic’ UNSC, as calls for reforms echo - with exceptions

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Munir Akram struck a discordant note by opposing the addition of permanent members to the Council.  China's Permanent Representative Zhang Jun supported calls for reforming international financial institutions but was silent on the Council -- opposing it would have roiled the African nations that form the largest group at the UN.

With safety of Indians in Sudan in mind, Jaishankar intensifies diplomatic efforts

There are about 4,000 Indian citizens in Sudan, and according to the Indian embassy in Khartoum of them, about 1,500 are longtime residents. An Indian ex-serviceman. Albert Augustine, who was working in Sudan, was killed by a stray bullet as he was speaking to his son while standing at the window of his apartment.

‘Big news' is India’s population growth is below replacement level: UN expert says that's 'window of opportunity for country

The challenges for India, she said, are “there's so many people that are in the informal labour market. Again, educational standards are highly uneven – if you go north to south, south to north in India, we see tremendous diversity within such a large country”.

UN protests to US over spying, 'interference'

Secret documents floating in social media and chat groups showed that the administration of President Joe Biden has been spying on UN officials as well as other international leaders, including US allies.

India seeks global condemnation of Pakistani drone delivery of weapons to terrorists

Indian officials have reported drones coming in from Pakistan to drop weapons and drugs for terrorists in Punjab and Kashmir. Last year till November, at least 22 such drones were reported captured by Indian agencies and 266 drone infiltrations were reported during the year.