India Appreciates UN South-South Cooperation as a Win-Win for all Partners

UNOSSC welcomed a high-level delegation from the Ministry of External Affairs, India and the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations.

Mr. Jorge Chediek, Director of UNOSSC and Envoy of the Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation warmly received Excellencies Mr. Gitesh Sarma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs; Mr. Nagaraj Naidu, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations; and Mr. Sanjay Rana, Joint Secretary (UN Political Division), Ministry of External Affairs – who were visiting UNOSSC headquarters in New York for the first time. The high-level delegation also included Mr. Mahesh Kumar, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and Mr. Ashish Sinha, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations.

The meeting highlighted key achievements of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund and the partners’ collective vision for the future for the Fund and South-South cooperation.

The $150-million Fund has 33 active projects implemented by seven UN agencies. In the last 18 months, it has made significant strides in advancing the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in small-island developing states, least developed countries and land-locked developing countries.

His Excellency Mr. Gitesh Sarma stated, “The India-UN development Partnership Fund is a win-win for all: India, the partner countries and the United Nations system.”

The India-UN Fund portfolio is now a prime example of South-South and triangular cooperation with development projects and partnerships in Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America, ranging across varied thematic areas: climate resilience, environmental sustainability, gender equality, renewable energy, improving women’s and maternal health, water and sanitation, education, employment and livelihoods, disaster recovery and risk management agricultural development, and infrastructure.

The partners collectively hailed the Fund as a testimony to the practical and sustainable impact of South-South cooperation in the developing world. The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) is the Fund Manager and Secretariat of the Board of Directors of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund; supporting and guiding its work through the overall project cycle.