Thiruvananthapuram  :

India has a powerful opportunity to develop its global ambitions through cooperation with the United Nations, said Kiran Mehra Kerpelman, director of United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan. She was inaugurating an international conference conducted to commemorate the 70th anniversary of United Nations here on Saturday.

Quoting United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, Kiran said, “These are the reflections of India’s increasing influence on the international stage. At this moment of time and space, India has a powerful opportunity to develop its global ambitions through cooperation with the UN.”

The conference on ‘Global Partnership towards Peace, Development and Human Rights: India and the UN’ organized by United Nations Information Centre, India and Bhutan in association with department of political science, University of Kerala and V K Krishna Menon Study Centre for International Relations was held at senate chamber.

“Indian and the UN have a long standing and far reaching relationships from the early days of leadership, on racial discrimination and decolonisation. As the successful initiatives like institutionalising equality, end poverty and fighting hunger the world over, we must fight together the threat of terrorism. The incessant rain at Chennai, floods in Uttarakhand and unseasonal heat waves at Andhra Pradesh and at rest of the country all are climate related. It is high time we realized the effects of climate change,” said Kiran.

Mentioning the COP 21 (Paris Climate Conference), an international political response to climate change, to be held Paris from Monday, she said that the 70th anniversary of the UN entails a certain amount of reflection in the past and plan for the future, which will decided at COP21.

Kerala University vice-chancellor P K Radhakrishnan, who presided over the event, spoke about the need for more focus in the conservation of environment and also on the need for peace and tolerance, while Rajiv Chandran, national information officer at United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan urged the students to join the district organization of United Nations Associations and update themselves about the decisions of the UN and also share their ideas.

A book on ‘The Changing Dimensions of Security: India’s Security Policy Options’ edited by Suresh R, director of V K Krishna Menon Study Centre for International Relations, was also released by Kiran Mehra Kerpelman by handing over the first copy to P K Radhakrishnan.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / TNN / December 06th, 2015