External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with the top leadership of the United Nations here and discussed with them India’s G20 presidency, regional affairs and global challenges, Sustainable Development Goals and Security Council reforms. Jaishankar has United Nations A day before addressing the general debate at the high-level session of the General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the President of the 78th session of the General Assembly, Dennis Francis, met at the headquarters of the global organization on Monday. He also met United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner. Jaishankar said it was a pleasure to meet Guterres. He said that the two leaders discussed how India’s G20 presidency has contributed to strengthening the sustainable development agenda of the United Nations.
Appreciation of India’s cooperation and leadership in G20
Jaishankar wrote on social media platform X that we coordinated closely in this regard last year. He praised Guterres’ strong commitment to reforming international financial institutions. Giving information about the meeting, the Office of the United Nations Spokesperson said that Guterres appreciated India’s cooperation in the United Nations and its leadership in the G20. He said that Guterres and Jaishankar also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, Myanmar and other global challenges. The UN Secretary General participated in the G20 Leaders’ Summit held in New Delhi on September 9 and 10 during India’s G20 Presidency. Jaishankar also held a meeting with Francis before meeting Guterres and thanked him for appreciating the results of India’s G20 chairmanship.
Discussion on Global South
Jaishankar said that he is confident that it will contribute to the deliberations of the United Nations General Assembly. The importance of improving multilateralism and giving the Global South its due on the pressing issues of our time was discussed. The term Global South is used for those developing and underdeveloped countries, which are mainly located in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Francis said via telephone that he was pleased to meet Jaishankar and congratulated the foreign minister on India’s successful G20 presidency, particularly India’s strong commitment in support of the Global South. Francis said they discussed key issues, including the priorities of the 78th UNGA session and reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and taking forward the outcomes of the Sustainable Development Goals summit.
Jaishankar also thanked Francis for his presence at the special ‘India-UN for Global South Delivering for Development’ event. The minister had hosted this event in New York on Saturday. Jaishankar, in his meeting with Steiner, appreciated UNDP’s participation in the initiatives taken during India’s G20 presidency. He said, we can work together to take forward Indian success stories for global benefit.
Jaishankar also met Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Jaishankar also met UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in New York. He later wrote on I commend the rapid progress of our bilateral cooperation. I value our regular exchange of perspectives on regional and global issues. The Foreign Minister said that he also held a meeting with Madagascar’s Foreign Minister Yvette Silla. Development partnership, millet and rice production, digital access and defense cooperation were discussed, he tweeted.
