United Nations: Development cooperation is a central pillar of India's foreign policy, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, who leads the delegation of Indian MPs to the UN, said at the India-UN Development Partnership Fund Annual Event-2026 on Thursday, IANS reported.

Source: IANS — Development cooperation central to India's foreign policy

The Fund, set up in 2017 with an Indian pledge of $150 million (yaani about $15 crore in dollar terms), covers concessional finance, infrastructure, humanitarian assistance, capacity building, digital cooperation and cultural heritage conservation, she said. UN Web TV, the UN's official broadcast service, lists the event and describes the Fund as assisting Member States of the Global South to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by providing finance for development.

Source: UN Web TV — India-UN Development Partnership Fund Annual Event

UN Under-Secretary-General Hao Liang Xu said the Fund has supported 94 projects in 64 countries, connecting India's financial resources and development experience with the critical needs of partner countries, IANS reported. India's Permanent Representative to the UN, P. Harish, said India's approach is rooted in the civilisational ethos of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' — the whole world is one family.

Source: IANS — Development cooperation central to India's foreign policy

Singh Deo, who represents Bolangir in Odisha, said partner countries identify their own priorities and India works with them to translate those priorities into tangible outcomes, in an approach she described as demand-driven and guided by mutual respect and respect for sovereignty. Representatives of countries from the Pacific, Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America spoke at the event about projects ranging from disaster relief and climate resilience to statistics and maternal health, IANS reported.

Source: IANS — Development cooperation central to India's foreign policy

Xu cited a recent visit to Burkina Faso, where he said Indian support helped communities construct the Nyando Dam and build livelihoods through irrigation, women's cooperatives, community fisheries and school improvements, benefiting more than 50,000 people. Sri Lanka's representative recalled India's $1 billion line of credit (yaani $100 crore in dollar terms) during Sri Lanka's 2022 economic crisis and its response within 24 hours after Cyclone Dita last November under Operation Sagar Bandhu, according to IANS. Sources: IANS and UN Web TV.

Source: IANS — Development cooperation central to India's foreign policy