The former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, on Friday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to exchange views on political and economic developments in the region, climate change and opportunities for south-south cooperation.
Mr. Annan, who is on a three-day visit, said India played a key role in addressing peace and stability, poverty alleviation and climate change. “India’s leadership, within the region and globally will be essential to tackle these challenges.”
Delivering the inaugural address at the 14th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit on Thursday, he made observations on the state of women in India, and subsidised water and electricity. As women were the major drivers of development, people must dedicate themselves to transforming relations between men and women at all levels of society, he said. “In too many countries, women face unacceptably high levels of violence, including sexual violence, which is an affront to our common humanity.”
In an interview to a TV channel, Mr. Annan said, “…I often say that there are two things in the world, once granted, it is extremely difficult to withdraw — subsidies and privileges.” Food subsidy should not be indefinite although governments should be able to help out poor people in difficult conditions. Eventually, conditions should be created so that they could manage on their own.
Next on his itinerary is Bangalore — he is the chief guest at an Infosys Prize ceremony — where he will emphasise the importance of scientific research and innovation to find solutions to some of the challenges of India and the world.
