"The first President of ECOSOC was an Indian. India also contributed to shaping the ECOSOC agenda including the sustainable development goals," PM Modi said, in his first ever keynote address in United Nations since India was elected as a non-permanent member of the powerful Security Council in June.
"India was among the 50 founding members of the UN immediately after the 2nd World War. A lot has changed since then. Today, the UN brings together 193 member countries," PM Modi said.
"Today, through our domestic efforts, we're again playing a salient role in achieving 'Agenda 2030' and the sustainable development goals. We're also assisting other developing countries in meeting their sustainable development goals," the Prime Minister said further.
"Thus, we have taken a holistic approach by engaging our states, our local governments, our civil societies, communities and our people. Our motto is Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas," he said further.
PM, during his speech, also noted that India is home to 1/6th of the world's humanity. He said that India is mindful of responsibility. "We know that if India succeeds in achieving its developmental objectives, it will go a long way in achievement of global goals," he said.
"Last year, we celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Father of our Nation Mahatma Gandhi by achieving full sanitation coverage in our 600,000 villages. In 5 years, we built over 10 crore toilets which improved our rural sanitation cover from 38% to 100%," he said.
Further speaking about the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak, PM Modi said that pandemic has severely tested the resilience of all nations. "In India, we have tried to make the fight against the pandemic a people's movement, by combining the efforts of Government and civil society," he added.
WATCH | PM Modi's Keynote Address At The United Nations Economic & Social Council