India’s G20 Presidency for the year 2023 adopted the theme “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth - One Family - One Future”, signifying India’s commitment to effectively fostering unity and collaboration in addressing global challenges. Commending India on the theme of the conference, President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, said that the concept of one world, one family aligns well with the principles of solidarity and unity, which were also highlighted in his remarks to world leaders during the high-level UNGA session last month. “Little did I know, just weeks ago, that the challenges we face would become even more striking in the weeks to follow,” Francis said. “I have spoken clearly in condemning the escalation of violence in the Middle-East and the associated alarming deaths of innocent civilians on both sides,” he said, referring to the escalating conflict in the Middle-East after Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out one of the most audacious and deadliest attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip over the weekend.

 

“Clearly, the deteriorating security situation runs contrary – in any shape and form – to the concept of one world, one family, and indeed, to the cherished principles of unity and solidarity. Where we need more peace, we are getting less,” Francis said. In her opening remarks, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador, Ruchira Kamboj, said that from the sacred Vedas and Upanishads, the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam has travelled through millennia, reminding people that beneath the apparent divisions of nationality, religion, and culture, “we all share the same human essence. Our fates are intertwined, our dreams interlinked, and our challenges interconnected.” From India’s G20 Presidency and Vaccine Maitri initiative to humanitarian assistance and yoga, Kamboj highlighted how the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam has been ensconced in India’s domestic and foreign policies over the years.