India¡¯s Permanent Representative to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, Hardeep Singh Puri, presented the Secretary-General with a cheque for 4.71 million dollars for the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Democracy Fund on 30 March 2012, bringing to nearly 30 million dollars India's total contribution since the Fund¡¯s inception seven years ago. As the world¡¯s largest democracy and one of the original founders of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDEF, India thus remains Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDEF¡¯s second largest donor.
Also present at the handover were Manjeev Singh Puri, India¡¯s Deputy Permanent Representative, Pavan Kapoor, Director-General of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Department at India¡¯s Ministry of External Affairs, Vijay Nambiar, outgoing Chef de Cabinet to the Secretary-General, and Annika Savill, Deputy Executive Head of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDEF. The Secretary-General thanked India for its consistent support to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDEF, including its constructive work as a member of the Fund¡¯s Advisory Board, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDEF¡¯s main governing body. He said he was delighted to receive the contribution from "the world¡¯s greatest democracy¡±, noting: "Such a level of contributions is easy to pledge, but very difficult to implement.". He noted the added importance of supporting Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDEF at this crucial time for democratization efforts in the Arab world and elsewhere.Ambassador Singh said Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDEF's "fame is spreading far and wide" and India was proud to have been ¡°first through the gate" in supporting the Fund as an effective instrument for promoting democratic values and processes. The Fund, which was initiated through a partnership between India and the United States, was launched by then Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2005. It supports projects that strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights and encourage participation of all groups in democratic processes.