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India major global player in fighting climate change: Guterres
By Arul Louis
United Nations, Jan 13 (IANS) India has taken on a major leadership role in fighting climate change when others are failing, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said.
“We have a very solid commitment to climate action,” Guterres said on Friday.
“We cannot be defeated by climate change and we are not yet winning this battle” and the biggest victims of climate change are the developing countries that are members of the Group of 77 (G77).
“In a moment when others are failing,” he said of “the largest economies in the world, the two largest economies of the G77 are strongly committed to the leadership in climate action and I refer to China and India.”
He said he saw India and China “assuming the leadership in climate action to make sure that we don’t suffer the dramatic and devastating impact of climate change”, he added.
Guterres was speaking at a ceremony at which Egypt took over the leadership of the G77 from Ecuador.
G77 is a coalition of developing countries that works collectively on development and international economic issues. It currently has 134 members, making it the largest group in the UN.
Guterres said that the G77 has been the “central pillar in the defence of multilateralism and these are not easy times for multilateralism”.
He said the Security Council must be reformed to ensure a balance of power at the UN.
“We share the concern of a more democratic UN, with power divided in a more balanced way and with more effective diversity in the regional representation at all bodies of the UN,” he said.
“And, of course the centre of that is the reform of the Security Council,” he added.
Assuming G77’s chairmanship, Egypt’s Permanent Representative Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta said that the group would work unitedly for combating climate change in a way that also promoted development.
Development and eradication of poverty would be a priority of the group. Poverty remained the root cause of the bulk of the problems that the world was facing.
For this, employment and the productive capacities of the developing countries have to increase and, in particular, development has to be labour intensive to provide jobs for the youth.
One of his priorities, he said, would be to create a clear, multilateral roadmap for dealing with the frontier issues that are arising from technologies.
General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak said that G77’s involvement would remain crucial for dealing with the challenges that the UN faces.
(Arul Louis can be reached at [email protected])
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.