SPEECH OF THE HON'BLE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SMT. PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL, ON THE OCCASION OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE 53RD COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE

Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, 25th September 2007

I consider it a privilege to participate at the inaugural function of the 53rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. It is after a gap of sixteen years that we, in India, have the opportunity once again to welcome Parliamentarians from the Commonwealth nations to our country. On behalf of the people of India and on my own behalf, I take this opportunity to wish you all, a pleasant stay and a successful Conference.

I am particularly pleased that the Conference has chosen to address the theme "Delivering Democracy and Sustainable Development", a very relevant topic on which undoubtedly Parliamentarians can provide very useful insights. I am equally pleased about the Commonwealth Women's Parliamentary Conference that was held yesterday. Women constitute nearly half of the world population and their participation in elected bodies is fundamental for the effective functioning of a democracy. Similarly, there can be no doubt that a woman's perspective is indispensable for a broad-based and a balanced development process. Women should be fully involved and brought to the forefront of sustainable development efforts. Harnessing their wisdom and expertise in various fields, could be of immense value particularly to the developing countries. Development programmes should be gender-sensitive and should specifically address issues and concerns of women in different sectors. Women continue to face the challenge of breaking through the "glass ceiling" but they have made some inroads and have proved to be highly successful professionals, in varied fields, as astronauts, doctors, lawyers, bankers, entrepreneurs etc. However, the fact remains that women's participation needs to be increased whether in public life or in economic activities or indeed in society itself. I hope that this Conference will focus on these issues in depth.

The Commonwealth is a family of sovereign states, representing more than two billion people, with diverse languages, cultures and customs spread over several continents. But they are all held together by a common allegiance to the basic values of democracy, faith in the rule of law and cooperation among nations for peace and prosperity. Speaking about India's decision to join the Commonwealth, Jawaharlal Nehru, our first Prime Minister, said in 1949 and I quote, "it is necessary that we touch upon the world's problems, not with passion and prejudice �. but in a friendly way and with a touch of healing �. We have begun this new association with a touch of healing." In our contemporary world, full of strife and conflict, there is an acute need for a healing touch, where the stronger helps the weaker and the developed, the less developed.

India is one of the oldest members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and represents the world's largest democracy with an electorate of more than 670 million. In India, the roots of democracy are firm and deep. The path that we traveled since our independence has sometimes been difficult but we have always had unwavering faith in democracy. There have been 14 general elections to our National Parliament and each time the verdict of the people has been respected. Irrespective of whether the vote was for continuity or for change, the transition of Government has been smooth. Moreover, we have been successful in taking democracy to the grassroots level both in the villages and in towns. We have a network of some 250,000 elected institutions of local self-government, to which we have elected some 3.2 million representatives, about 1.2 million of whom are women. This is by far the largest number of elected representatives ever in history, or anywhere in the contemporary world.

Democracy means power of the people. In a democratic set up, with universal suffrage, the various interests and concerns of the people find expression through the voice of their elected representatives. In India, the issues of poverty eradication, overall development and strengthening the social sector infrastructure have been the primary focus of parliamentary debates and discussions. Mahatma Gandhi said and I quote, "Democracy in essence means the art and science of mobilizing the entire physical, economic and spiritual resources of all the various sections of the people in the service of the common good of all." Democracy is surely a better means to achieve sustainable development.

In a globalized and inter-dependent world, the good of all becomes a common global endeavour. Our planet belongs to all of us and to sustain it as well as to preserve it for future generations requires action by all of us. The sustainable development agenda enunciated at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 and at the Sustainable Development Summit in Johannesburg in 2002, provided a blue print of how to make development economically, socially and ecologically sustainable. The global partnership established, at these Summits, sought to protect the environment while addressing development needs. Many of the development issues that confront the world -poverty, hunger, disease and ignorance - all require collective action. Indeed, poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. Sustainable development cannot be achieved by individual nations. It is a collective enterprise. Recognizing this, world leaders at the Millennium Development Summit held in 2000, spoke of their vision of a shared future. They adopted the Millennium Development Goals that seek to eradicate poverty and hunger, promote education, empower women, improve maternal health, reduce child mortality, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases and ensure environmental sustainability. 2015 was agreed to as the deadline for delivery.

While some progress has been made to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, we cannot either have a sense of satisfaction or an attitude of complacency.

On the environmental aspect, there is growing evidence of the impact of climate change. It calls for energy efficient technologies, pollution control, water conservation, waste management etc., as also fulfillment by countries of their respective international obligations. In India, we have a tradition to consider man as an integral part of the eco-system and therefore, inseparable from nature. To protect the environment as well as prevent pollution and degradation of natural resources, India has adopted effective national policies and is also engaged with the international community in finding solutions to the challenges of climate change.

As per UN estimates, one fifth of the world's population lives in hunger and extreme poverty with an income of less than one dollar a day; 72 million children of primary school age are not in school; half a million women die every year due to complexities during pregnancy and child birth; 2.1 million people die from AIDS; 1.6 billion people lack access to basic sanitation. I cite these figures only to highlight the magnitude of the task that lies ahead. Firm political will is required to meet the 2015 target date. Financial resources and technologies need to be made available to developing countries for meeting the Millennium Development Goals. At the Doha Round of trade talks, the concerns of the developing countries should be taken on board. In the international financial institutions, the developing countries should have a greater role in the decision-making processes so as to better address the issues of development at the global level. The global partnership now needs to deliver.

India has made tremendous progress since the last meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association held here in 1991. Some of you who may be returning here must have noticed the changes. A new, confident and young India is emerging. ICT and knowledge-based industries have become for us the tools of advancement. The Indian economy is growing at an impressive rate. With a growing economy and a stable democracy, India has reason to be optimistic that it would be able to deliver both democracy and development to its citizens.

Though, itself a developing country, India has sought to extend support to other developing countries, particularly through its technical and economic cooperation programmes, under which it has so far provided over US $ 2 billion worth of technical assistance to developing countries. We seek to build friendship among nations and will continue to work with regional bodies and the international community for peace, progress and prosperity in the world.

Before I conclude, I would like to mention the serious threat emanating from the disruptive activities of terrorists who are using modern technologies to set up extensive networks and are killing innocent people. Terrorism has no justification whatsoever and no cause can be served by shedding the blood of innocent people. It is imperative that we all take a firm and unequivocal stand against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. India will continue to work to further strengthen international co-operation against terrorism.

Distinguished delegates, you have a heavy and wide-ranging agenda. Your deliberations will be a powerful message about the fight against global poverty, a more equitable world, the sustainable development agenda and democratic values and path. With these words, I have great pleasure in inaugurating the 53rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.

Thank you.

JAI HIND !