In the euphoria after the Cold War, there was a misplaced notion that the UN could solve every problem anywhere.

People who ask us when we will hold talks with Pakistan are perhaps not aware that over the last 55 years, every initiative for a dialogue with Pakistan has invariably come from India.

The Bio-diversity Convention has not yielded any tangible benefits to the world's poor.

Poverty is multidimensional. It extends beyond money incomes to education, health care, political participation and advancement of one's own culture and social organisation.

The UN's unique legitimacy flows from a universal perception that it pursues a larger purpose than the interests of one country or a small group of countries.

The reality is that international institutions like the UN can only be as effective as its members allow it to be.