Need for constructive globalisation: PM

Emphasising that the challenges of globalisation should be addressed in a 'constructive and inclusive manner,' Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said effective national action also requires 'enabling and facilitatory' international environment.

In a message to a special conference titled 'A Fair Globalisation: Implementing the Millennium Declaration,' organised at the United Nations on Monday, Singh said India's own experience with globalisation has 'reaffirmed the importance of our strong democratic institutions and of appropriate policies, including focus on the development of human resources.'

The challenges of globalisation should be tackled in a 'constructive and inclusive manner' and an effective national action was also needed for an 'enabling and facilitatory' global environment, he said.

The message was read out by Nirupam Sen, India's Ambassador to the United Nations at the meeting organised at the initiative of President Halonen of Finland and President Mkapa of Tanzania.

In his brief intervention, Sen said the international economic and financial system has to undergo far-reaching reforms to ensure 'policy autonomy' to the developing countries.

In India, China, Brazil and in many other countries, globalisation had improved the lives of hundreds of millions of people with the liberalisation of trade and the opening up various sectors to FDIs, Chirac said.

But millions of men, women and children are still living in extreme poverty and disgraceful working conditions. "We should ensure that the world's unprecedented wealth becomes a vehicle for integration, rather than exclusion of the most underprivileged," he said.

"How can gloablisation be justified to workers whose jobs have been relocated?" Chirac, who specially travelled to New York for the two back-to-back conferences, asked. He left immediately after the conferences.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said, "How many more times will it be necessary to repeat that the most destructive weapon of mass destruction in the world is poverty?"

"Fair globalisation must begin with the right of everyone to a job," he said, adding it should be socially fair and politically sustainable.

Globalisation has increased the gap between the rich and the poor, enlarged asymmetries and deepened inequalities, he said.

He said market forces alone were not able to ensure the end of inequalities and injustice and in some cases, they even aggravate them. "That is the reason why the engagement of leaders committed to social progress is necessary."

Pakistan President General Musharraf said efforts by individual countries to alleviate poverty should be backed by external assistance.