Now Reading: India gifts five peacocks to UN Geneva, reviving tradition
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India gifts five peacocks to UN Geneva, reviving tradition
India has donated five peacocks, including a rare white-feathered male, to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), reviving a tradition last observed in 1981. India's Permanent Representative Arindam Bagchi formally handed…
The Story in Brief
India has donated five peacocks, including a rare white-feathered male, to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), reviving a tradition last observed in 1981. India's Permanent Representative Arindam Bagchi formally handed over the birds to UNOG Director-General Tatiana Valovaya during a ceremony on Friday. The peacocks were chosen to symbolise India's biodiversity and commitment to environmental stewardship, and their blue and white colours mirror the UN's own. The birds will initially be kept in an enclosed habitat for about three months before being allowed to roam freely in Geneva's 46-hectare Ariana Park, which has hosted peacocks for over a century. The first pair was sent to the UN by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1981. The donation comes as India gears up to host a major UN conference on biological diversity later this year.
The Indian Opinion
The gift of peacocks to the UN, while symbolically rich, is being spun by some as a major diplomatic coup. Rather than a substantive policy achievement, it is a well-meaning but essentially cosmetic gesture. The real test of India's commitment to multilateralism and biodiversity will be its actions on climate finance and conservation funding, not the number of birds in a Swiss park. Let us see if this translates into tangible outcomes at the next environment summit.
Source: telanganatoday.com
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