The following is the text of the speech of the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the presentation function of the 2002 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development to Sir Shridath Ramphal here today:

~I am very pleased to be here today to felicitate Sir Shridath Ramphal on the award of the Indira Gandhi Prize to him. Today we also remember Smt. Indira Gandhi – one of the eminent leaders of recent times who made a significant contribution to the making of a modern, strong and self-reliant India.

The award honours outstanding global citizens or organizations, with significant contributions to international peace and disarmament, goodwill and harmony among nations, all-round advancement of developing nations, and promoting a new equitable world order. Of the several distinguished men, women and organizations to have received the Indira Gandhi Prize since 1986, few can claim as intimate and versatile an involvement in every one of these endeavours, as Sir Shridath.

It was during his tenure as Secretary-General that the Commonwealth pursued its persistent and vigorous campaign against apartheid in South Africa, which eventually led to the dismantling of the racist regime there. In the 1980s, Sir Shridath served on all the International Commissions, which examined solutions to the critical global challenges of development, disarmament, security, environment, North-South cooperation and humanitarian issues.

After leaving the Commonwealth, he has continued his involvement with issues of equitable and sustainable development. In his own region, as Chief Negotiator for the Caribbean region, Sir Shridath and his team achieved remarkable success in forging a unified Caribbean position in international economic negotiations with Europe and the Americas.

Sir Shridath Ramphal is the first recipient of the Indira Gandhi Prize from the Caribbean-Latin American region. He is also the first representative of the large Indian Diaspora abroad to receive this award.

We were proud to recognize his achievements by the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award earlier this year. Sir Shridath has always maintained that, while his roots were in India, his identity was firmly Caribbean. This harmonious blend of national origin and current citizenship defines the emotional, intellectual and cultural outlook of a successful and well-integrated representative of the Indian Diaspora abroad.

The countries of the world today face complex challenges of development and security, dealing with the tensions of prosperity coexisting with poverty, and fighting terrorism and other transnational crimes. We enjoy the advantages presented by global interdependence, but also face the security vulnerabilities of the global village. This unprecedented complex of challenges calls for a new look at international organizations and the processes through which nations can cooperate in these matters.

People like Sir Shridath Ramphal, with his scholarship and experience are needed to guide international deliberations in such times.

I extend my warm good wishes to Sir Shridath for continued success and fulfillment in all his future activities.

Thank you~.