United Nations: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not address the General Debate at the annual high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly later this month, according to a revised provisional list of speakers issued here.
The 80th session of the UN General Assembly will open on September 9. The high-level General Debate will run from September 23-29, with Brazil as the traditional first speaker of the session, followed by the US.
US President Donald Trump will address world leaders from the iconic UNGA podium on September 23, his first address to the UN session in his second term in the White House.
According to a revised provisional list of speakers for the high-level General Debate of the 80th session of the General Assembly released Friday, India will be represented by a ‘minister’.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will address the session on September 27.
According to a previous provisional list of speakers issued in July, Modi was scheduled to address the General Debate on September 26.
The heads of government of Israel, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh are scheduled to address the UNGA General Debate on September 26.
Modi had travelled to the US in February this year for a bilateral meeting with Trump at the White House in Washington. Trump has imposed tariffs totalling 50 per cent on India, including 25 per cent for Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.
The UNGA list of speakers for the General Debate is provisional and there is always possibility of changes in schedules and speakers ahead of the commencement of the high-level week.
The list will continue to be updated accordingly.
Considered the “busiest diplomatic season” of the year at the United Nations Headquarters, the high-level session opens in September annually.
The session this year comes amid the continued Israel-Hamas war as well as the Ukraine conflict. The theme for the 80th session is ‘Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights’.
The session will open with a meeting to ‘Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations’ on September 22.
Marking the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the UN General Assembly will convene a high-level meeting centred on the theme “Recommitting to, resourcing and accelerating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls”.
The meeting will reflect on progress since the landmark 1995 conference in Beijing and highlight achievements, best practices, gaps, and ongoing challenges in advancing gender equality worldwide, the UN said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will convene a Climate Summit on September 24 to serve as a platform for world leaders to present their new national climate action plans and seize the benefits of the new clean energy era.
Other high-level meetings to be held during the week include Summit for a Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Global Economy; Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health and Well-being; 30th Anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth; Launch of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance; International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons; and Situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar.
