Speech by Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of External Affairs at the Inauguration of the New Campus of the Foreign Service Institute

The Indian mind is comfortable with change and connectedness. The enabling environment created since the mid-80s, and especially since 1991, has allowed India’s entrepreneurs and professionals to leverage change and create wealth and employment on an unprecedented scale. In the same vein, the challenge before the Indian Foreign Service in today’s interdependent world is to leverage India’s unique soft power to sustain the right external environment and enable India to pursue her national goals successfully I am confident that with the efforts of this Institute and with the backing of other significant actors in foreign policy, such as Parliament, media and academia, this is eminently possible.

The world today is unfortunately not only about expanding economic and technological horizons. There are dangers and pitfalls such as poverty, environmental degradation, constriction of political freedom and choice, growth of extremism and intolerance, international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the risk of their falling into the hands of irresponsible actors, pandemics, energy security and climate change. Quite often, the manner of addressing some of these challenges poses a challenge in itself. For a large, diverse, developing democracy located in a region going through many painful transitions, these are not academic concerns, but real, daily issues. We have to respond to them energetically, creatively and in partnership with other actors on the international stage.

From our perspective, the primary challenge for the world today has to be the elimination of poverty and a radical improvement in the living standards of people in the developing world. Much of the industry in the developing world needs significant technology upgrades to become globally competitive. Agriculture faces challenges of productivity, technology, managing scarce water resources and establishing marketing standards. Infrastructure needs a drastic overhaul. Access to predictable, affordable and environmentally sound energy resources, in particular, has emerged as a major bottleneck and must rank foremost in our priorities. A priority task of Indian diplomacy has to be the facilitation of the developmental process, promotion of trade and investment flows, securing predictable and affordable energy supplies and ensuring the widest possible access to technologies. While the primary development effort has to be national, we need to leverage international partnerships to the best possible effect.

The second challenge is institutional. While people are sovereign in choosing how to govern themselves, the Indian experience is that democracy is essential to the management of the diverse aspirations of a plural society. It is also undoubtedly one of the best tools to manage social change without upheaval and violence. As the world becomes more connected and inter-dependent, the diversity that we see at the level of individual nations will necessarily get more and more reflected at the global level. The management of this global diversity under conditions of interdependence would require the application of democratic principles to global governance as well.

India is not looking for new poles, but rather a pluralistic world order that is reflective of the diversity of the world today and accommodating of new players who can contribute solutions to tomorrow’s problems. In this context, the composition of the UN Security Council too needs to come to terms with present reality and reflect future potential. This premier institution of global governance needs to be democratized and India needs to find its rightful place in an expanded Council.

Another priority has to be a significant diminution, if not outright elimination, of the threat of war and conflict. Peace and security are indispensable in confronting challenges that the international community will face in the coming years. In India, we are acutely aware of the ferment in our neighbourhood and the need to ensure a peaceful periphery for our and the region’s development. Here again, international priorities blend with our national priorities.

Tighter inter-linkages and shared stakes do diminish the prospects of traditional conflict, but old sources of conflict are now being joined by new threats related to proliferation, terrorism as well as natural disasters and pandemics like HIV/AIDS or Avian Flu. Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the possibility of their falling into the hands of terrorists must rank among the most critical challenges facing the world today. The issue cannot be addressed merely by focusing on supply-side technology controls. The so-called A Q Khan network made a mockery of these controls. A new approach is required, which also prioritizes disarmament. India has always pursued the objective of global disarmament, based on the principles of universality, non-discrimination and effective compliance.

Given its record of restraint and responsible behaviour, India’s participation as a full partner in a new global consensus on non-proliferation would strengthen global efforts in this arena. Conscious of our responsibilities, we have adopted a comprehensive export control system, harmonized with international best practices, and reiterated our traditional commitment to nuclear disarmament through a Working Paper submitted to the United Nations General Assembly. We believe that a good beginning would be to formalize a no-first use agreement internationally as a step towards delegitimizing nuclear weapons. This approach was adopted in 1925 in the Geneva Protocol on chemical and biological weapons and ultimately led to their elimination.

Finally, from my perspective, an essential priority for the world today has to be a new consciousness, not just among the political elites, but also among the peoples of the world, that their choices and their actions affect all others on this planet. This consciousness is what would break down the barriers to greater global cooperation and lead to the structures and processes that are needed to address international challenges such as climate change and energy security. And this is where the voice of India’s diplomats can best be heard. However, this is a subtle task. A narrow consciousness can hardly be the best communicator of a global consciousness. Therefore, I would call upon our future diplomats to reflect the best of Indian civilization when interacting with the world.

In the timeless words of India’s ‘best’ diplomat, Krishna, a diplomat’s speech “should not disturb the mind of the listener; it should be precise with correct use of language; and again, if possible, it should be of utility to the listener.”

With the hope that some of what I have said has been of some utility to those gathered here today, let me conclude by congratulating the officers and alumni of the FSI on gaining these new premises. May the FSI’s new portals welcome and train a new generation of diplomats destined to take India to loftier heights.

Thank you.