Former Indian envoy Ruchira Kamboj on Friday, highlighted India’s principled position on global matters throughout history, and said that New Delhi’s ‘soft power’ today has become a “significant force” in shaping global discourse.

India’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York was addressing the second edition of the Chanakya Defence Dialogue in the national capital on the theme of “Shaping the Global Agenda: India’s Multilateral Mandate”.

The Chanakya Defence Dialogue was organised by the Indian Army in collaboration with the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) on the theme of ‘Drivers in Nation Building: Fuelling Growth Through Comprehensive Security’.

“India’s soft power has become a significant force in shaping global discourse,” Kamboj said.

Citing India’s stand on apartheid and decolonisation, she said India has always been a voice for the oppressed, for the marginalized, and for the voiceless.

“India was a founding member of the United Nations in 1945. India has been a voice for the oppressed, for the marginalized, and for the voiceless. We took a principle stand against apartheid long before it was widely accepted, and we led also the charge in the decolonization movement.”

“India was the very first country to bring apartheid to the agenda of the United Nations. And we persisted until the system was dismantled in 1992,” Kamboj said.

She added, “The agenda item treatment of India in the Union of South Africa was the agenda item that we brought to the United Nations, which set the stage for India’s larger involvement in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.”

Speaking about the importance of multilateralism, she said India’s approach has never been about ‘power politics’ but about moral leadership.

“India’s approach to multilateralism has never been about power politics. It has been about moral leadership and walking the talk. This remains unchanged to date. Our founding leaders recognize that,” Kamboj said.