New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): India on Friday launched the first set of four development projects under the 'India-UN Global Capacity Building Initiative,' aimed at supporting countries of the Global South in meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as per MEA.

The projects were officially launched by the Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Tanmaya Lal, at a ceremony attended by Heads of Missions of participating countries, UN Resident Coordinator in India Shombi Sharp, senior officials from UN agencies, and senior MEA officials.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar initially announced the initiative in September 2023 during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Since then, the Ministry of External Affairs and the UN team in India have been working jointly to identify and plan SDG-focused projects under the programme.

According to the MEA, 'The India-UN Global South Capacity Building Initiative is a natural extension of India's development partnership efforts. It combines India's longstanding ITEC programme with UN agencies to deliver demand-driven and specialised training.'

The initiative builds on India's flagship Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, which offers over 12,000 training slots every year to nearly 160 countries in more than 400 specialised courses. Since its inception, over 2.25 lakh training slots have been completed.

Under the India-UN initiative, UN agencies will assist partner governments in identifying SDG-linked priority areas. At the same time, India will support implementation through training provided by ITEC-affiliated institutions, as per the MEA statement.

In its first phase, the programme will support rice fortification and supply chain management in Nepal with the help of the World Food Programme, develop digital health platforms in Zambia and Lao PDR with UNDP support, train officials in census preparedness in Belize, Barbados, St Kitts & Nevis, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago in collaboration with the UN Population Fund, and provide vocational training in South Sudan with UNESCO support.

The selected training courses are scheduled to begin in September 2025 and will be carried out through designated Indian training institutes under the ITEC framework. (ANI)