Envoys from several developing nations have commended India’s sustained backing for sustainable development, speaking at the Ninth Annual India-UN Development Partnership Fund event held at the UN General Assembly on October 22.
Representatives of Laos, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Micronesia, Moldova, Morocco, Saint Lucia, Cuba and Mozambique, among others, took part in the gathering, where speakers pointed to the Fund’s tangible effect on communities across the Global South.
Tuvalu’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Tapugao Falefou, said Indian assistance was reaching grassroots education and local infrastructure. “The Indian investment will certainly benefit hundreds of schools and institutions. The project demonstrates the value of development that is responsive to national priorities and local needs. Tuvalu remains deeply grateful to the Govt of India’s development assistance,” he said.
Saint Lucia’s envoy, Ambassador Menissa Rambally, described the Fund as a distinctive instrument for capacity building. “The purpose of the Fund is multifaceted. It facilitates economic and social development across countries of the Global majority,” she said, adding that the Fund was “instrumental as countries seek to meet the challenges in myriad areas of economic and social development.”
Tanzania’s Ambassador Togolani Edriss Mavura thanked India for its continued assistance. “Tanzania expresses its sincere appreciation to India and the India-UN Fund for their continued support for sustainable development in Tanzania,” he stated.
Timor-Leste’s Ambassador Dionisio Da Costa Babo Soares said the Fund reflected solidarity among developing countries, and that his country had gained directly from it. “Our experience with the Fund demonstrates how South-South Cooperation can translate shared commitments into meaningful opportunities for our people, particularly the younger generations,” he remarked.
Cuba’s Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán stressed the Fund’s relevance amid global inequities. “In an increasingly unjust international order, the India-UN Fund form of cooperation is more necessary than ever to overcome structural inequalities and expand opportunities to strengthen the collective voice of the Global South,” he stated.
Mozambique’s Ambassador Domingos Estêvão Fernandes called the Fund a concrete example of cooperation grounded in national priorities, equality and non-interference, noting that it also complements North-South cooperation.
Established in 2017, the USD 150 million Fund is led and financed by the Government of India and implemented with the UN system. It backs Southern-owned, demand-driven and transformational projects, prioritising least developed countries and small island developing States, with UN agencies delivering them in close coordination with partner governments.