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H. Gowda: Address to Asia Pacific Summit 2018
Written by H. E. H. D. Deve Gowda, Former Prime Minister of the Republic of India
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Address to Asia Pacific Summit 2018, Kathmandu, Nepal, Nov. 30–Dec. 3, 2018
Your excellency, former prime minister of Nepal, Mhadav Khumar Nepal, Your Excellencies, Heads of state and government, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is my great privilege and delight to be here on this historic gathering. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Right Honorable Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli of Nepal for inviting me to be part of this prestigious summit. I believe that the goodwill generated by the coming together of righteous men and women to deliberate on issues of common and global concern has the potential to impact the shape of our shared future. The theme of the summit—“Addressing the critical challenges of our time: Interdependence, mutual prosperity and universal values”—should be very simple and natural because that is the nature of values. They are pervasive, accepted, and passed on from generation to generation. Values are the basis for human interaction.
Excellencies and ladies and gentlemen, this year India is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, and we are commemorating his ideals of peace and nonviolence as well as his immense contribution to India's freedom struggle. His favorite devotional song was “Vaishnava Jan To,” which means “a virtuous man is one who understands the pain of others.” This, to me, is the essence of universal values.
Excellencies, the biggest challenge of our time comes from the essential threats of terrorism and climate change. The death of godism has caused dramatic effects. It increases the distinctions between the borders, genders, and religions. There can be no difference between a good or bad terrorist, no matter the cause. Any attempt to justify violence, in the name of heroism, is deplorable. It is unfortunate that the global community has been groomed by certain international organizations to both garble and confuse public opinion.
In 1996, India proposed an in-depth document for a convention held at the United Nations on international terrorism that called for greater accountability and the rule of law to deal with the violation of human rights. If we do not deal with it now, we will have to deal with it later!
Ladies and gentlemen, my second concern is the issue of climate change, which is an essential threat to humanity. Certain nations have been the prime contributors to climate change. Those who have exploited nature to satisfy their immediate needs cannot be absolved of their responsibilities.
We believe in Gandhi words, “The earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.” In line with the 2015 Paris Agreement, we have to show the global community that India is committed to meet the challenge of climate change and that it is already taking necessary steps to mitigate its effect.
The challenges that we face today are transitional in nature and should be seen as opportunities. Social media and technological advances connect us in a way that is unprecedented. These connections are yet to be fully translated into integration, but that is exactly what we must do. We need to integrate our vision and our shared future. There can be no social justice that is limited and there can be no peace that is not universal and open to all.
I leave you with the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who spoke about the purpose of all relations, social and political. He said, “When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it—always.”
Thank you very much.
To go to the 2018 Asia Pacific Summit Schedule page, click here.