Ukraine conflict aggravates food and energy inflation: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday that the conflict in Ukraine has aggravated food and energy inflation to make it one of the “biggest challenges of our times”.

In his address here on a special ‘India@75’ Showcasing India-UN Partnership in Action’ event, Jaishankar said India today envisions itself as a developed country by 2047, the 100th year of its independence.

“The conflict in Ukraine has aggravated food and energy inflation to make it one of the biggest challenges of our times. India has responded by supplying food grains including as grant assistance in recent years to Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Yemen and several other countries,” he said.

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“We dream of digitizing our most remote villages and landing on the moon. Perhaps even digitizing it. Our foundational belief is that India's own development is inseparable from that of the rest of the world,” he said.

The event was attended by dignitaries from the UN including President of the 77th session of UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

Jaishankar said India believes that development is a public good and open sourcing is the best way forward.

“India believes that the UN can be an even bigger force multiplier in advancing SDGs by pooling global knowledge,” he said.

He reiterated that India stands committed and ready to strengthen its partnerships with the United Nations to ensure a brighter future for the planet.

“We have full faith in the principles of the United Nations, its Charter and in our belief in reformed multilateralism as key to shared goals of the world,” Jaishankar said.