Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Osaka
Describing terrorism as the biggest threat to humanity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the scourge not only kills innocents, but also severely affects the economic development and social stability.
Speaking at the informal BRICS leaders’ meeting in Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Modi said there is a need to stop all mediums of support to terrorism and racism. “Terrorism is the biggest threat to humanity. It not only kills innocents, but also severely affects the economic development and social stability,” he said.
On terrorism, the PM said it is a global challenge and must be collectively fought by the international community, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told reporters.
On the deliberations of the BRICS leaders, Gokhale said they also discussed multilateral challenges and emphasised that these should be dealt with through the established institutions, instead of “unilateralism”.
In his remarks, Modi spoke of strengthening the World Trade Organisation, fighting protectionism, ensuring energy security and the need to work together to fight terrorism. “Today, I will focus on some major challenges. First is the instability and downfall in the global economy. Unilateralism and competitiveness are overshadowing the rule-based mutilateral global trade systems. Deficiency of resources…there is a shortfall of almost $1.3 trillion investment in the infrastructure,” he said.
The second one is to make development sustainable and all-inclusive. Fast changing technologies such as digitalisation and climate change pose a challenge to the current as well as future generations, Modi said. Development is worthwhile only when it reduces inequality and contribute in empowerment, he said.
