By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, SEPT 28, 2014: ADDRESSING the UN General Assembly the Indian PM, Mr Narendra Modi, called for urgent reform and rejuvenation of the United Nations. He also called for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on Global Terrorism and said that Pakistan must create a suitable atmosphere for bilateral talks. The PM also insisted on adoption of an International Yoga Day.

The Prime Minister urged all member nations to deliver on the commitment of UN reforms. He said institutions which reflect the compulsions of the twentieth century risk irrelevance. He also highlighted the need to re-energize the process of UN peacekeeping, and said countries which contribute their military personnel for such operations need to have greater say in decision-making. He said the seventieth year of the United Nations should be an opportunity to reflect on what all has been achieved, and to prepare a roadmap for the future. He called for Universities and youth to be involved in this process of transformation. He said the 21st century had its own set of challenges, and the United Nations needs to reflect contemporary realities.

The Prime Minister referred to the emergence of several groups of countries with the prefix "G" and said that we must move towards a "G-all" and see how the UN can be made more effective.He said the fact that billions of people are without basic sanitation, drinking water and electricity highlights how much needs to be done in an organized way at the global level.

The Prime Minister forcefully raised the issue of terrorism, and said no country in the world was today safe from it. He condemned the use of terms such as "good terrorism" and "bad terrorism" and said some countries were still harbouring terrorists and using terrorism as an instrument of state policy. He emphasized the need for an early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on Global Terrorism, saying it is a matter that has been pending for long.