Odishatv Bureau
United Nations: Extending support to efforts to strengthen the role of the UN General Assembly, India has said revitalisation of the 193-member body is possible only when its position as the chief deliberative and policy-making organ of the UN is respected in "letter and spirit".

The General Assembly should take the lead in setting the global agenda and restoring the centrality of the United Nations in formulating multilateral approaches to resolving transnational issues, India`s Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said at a session on UNGA revitalisation here. India will offer its constructive support and participation in efforts to strengthen the role of General Assembly as the chief deliberative, legislative and policy-making and representative body of the international community.

Puri said an important aspect of the issue of General Assembly revitalisation is that a proper relationship of respect for the respective mandates has to be established between the General Assembly and the Security Council. India, which joined the Security Council last year, has noticed "firsthand" that the Council`s agenda is "overburdened".

"The Council busies itself with themes which no doubt and are certainly important, but do not appear directly connected to the real and immediate threats to international peace and security. This has left the Council with less time to focus on the real hotspots that constitute the real threats to international peace and security," Puri said. "We believe that remedial measures would only be half complete in the absence of serious introspection on what the General Assembly itself can do to mitigate the situation," he added.

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