External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the progress made under the India-Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation framework and the India-UN Development Partnership Fund at the India-FIPIC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Addressing the gathering, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar extended a warm welcome to the representatives of the Pacific Island nations at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York, stating that the discussions would center on reviewing the progress achieved following the third summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation held in 2023.

He emphasised that India's relationship with the Pacific Island nations, particularly regarding its development partnership, has expanded significantly through two major institutional mechanisms, namely the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation framework and the India-UN Development Partnership Fund.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar noted that through both these mechanisms, India has undertaken numerous project initiatives aimed at highlighting its strong commitment towards enhancing local livelihoods, building institutional capacity, and promoting sustainable development across the region.

The External Affairs Minister also highlighted India’s ongoing efforts towards the procurement and supply of specialised sea ambulances to the Pacific Island countries.

He stated that requests had been received from 12 member states for a total of 20 units of sea ambulances, adding that active procurement work is currently going on in India and expressing confidence that delivery will be achieved by 27 March.

Furthermore, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar proposed the creation of customized capacity-building training modules specifically tailored for the Pacific Island countries based on their explicit national priorities.

Reflecting on earlier commitments, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar mentioned that a set of key development schemes had been announced when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the region, noting that good progress has been achieved since then.

Elaborating on the new proposal, he invited the member states to share their specific regional priorities and focus domains where professional capacity or technical expertise needs strengthening, offering to design exclusive modules for participants from the Pacific Islands.

He added that this capacity-building initiative would enable professionals and officials from the region to travel to India for dedicated training programs in key focus domains over a period of time.

In addition to bilateral development issues, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called for urgent structural reforms of the United Nations Security Council, remarking that the inability of the international body to address ongoing global conflicts and threats to international peace and security highlights the compelling need for change.

The External Affairs Minister made these remarks while co-chairing the L.69 Consultative Ministerial Interaction on United Nations Security Council reform alongside Foreign Minister Alva Baptiste of Saint Lucia.

Expressing gratitude to C-10 coordinator Swaray Rahman of Sierra Leone for his presence, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar pointed out that countries across the Global South have been at the receiving end of unprecedented global shifts, while the United Nations has consistently fallen short of expectations.

He asserted that the persistent failure of the United Nations Security Council to effectively address ongoing conflicts and emerging security challenges underlines the pressing urgency for systemic reform.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar concluded by stating that continued delays in reforming the United Nations Security Council serve to perpetuate historical injustice, asserting that member states of the L.69 and C-10 groupings are joining forces to push for comprehensive multilateral reforms.

ANI