Undemocratic systems of governance creating hindrances for developing nations: India tells UN

United Nations: India on Monday said persisting “undemocratic systems” of international governance are creating hindrances for effective participation of developing countries in global decision-making processes, as it expressed disappointment that its repeated calls for a conducive environment has met with resistance. [caption id=“attachment_2714874” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “The global development divide of today can trace its origins in an array of historical injustices that have somehow never completely disappeared from the equation,” Permanent Representative of India to the UN in Geneva Ajit Kumar said at a session of the Working Group on the Right To Development. Kumar said the global divide is “evident” on Monday in the “persisting undemocratic systems” of international governance where effective participation of developing countries in international decision-making is paved with all kinds of obstacles. “In this regard, our repeated calls for a conducive international environment as well attempts towards greater acceptance and operationalisation of the right to development at the international level have only yielded disappointment and resistance,” he said. Kumar called for “strong political will” and “genuine commitment” of the international community to make the right to development a “working reality”. Kumar stressed that the challenge of guaranteeing human rights becomes nearly impossible to tackle in the face of unmet human needs. “There seems to be a tacit acknowledgement of this fact in the plethora of internationally agreed declarations, resolutions, decisions and norms on the issue of right to development, however, when it comes to allocation of adequate time and resources to this issue, our collective endeavour at the various UN fora leaves much to be desired,” he said. The deliberations in all multilateral fora as well decades of experience of the ground realities have established that any lasting progress towards fulfilling the right to development require equitable economic relations and a favourable economic environment at the international level, apart from the national level policies. He reiterated the centrality of the right to development in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, saying this would require mainstreaming of the right to development in the policies and operational activities of the UN and its various agencies, funds and programs.