New Delhi: Reflecting on India's active engagement on the global stage and its robust foreign policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the high-level General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, scheduled from September 24-30.
The gathering of international leaders in New York, which comes amidst numerous geopolitical tensions, is expected to address several key themes, including international security, climate action, and sustainable development, with a focus on strengthening multilateralism.
While the Indian government is yet to confirm, as per the provisional list of speakers for the General Debate issued by the UN this week, India’s “Head of Government” is scheduled to address the high-level session in the afternoon of September 26.
Modi, who began his historic third term as India's Prime Minister this year, is expected to spotlight the needs of developing nations and India's commitments to fostering international cooperation, according to media reports. In a post shared on X on July 18, he said India is on its way to be the third largest economy and major players see the country becoming a superpower soon.
The 78th UNGA session was addressed by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar where he said that the days when a few nations set the global agenda and “expected others to fall in line” are over.
At 76th UNGA, a commitment to democracy
The Prime Minister last spoke at the annual high-level UNGA session in September 2021, where he termed India the “mother of all democracies”. In a wide ranging address, that began with a condolence message for victims of the Covid pandemic, PM Modi spoke about climate change, poverty alleviation, developments in Afghanistan, and UN Security Council reform.
Stating that every sixth person in the world is an Indian, PM Modi stated at the UN that when Indians progress, the development of the world also gets a boost. "When India grows, the world grows. When India reforms, the world transforms," he had said. During his visit to the UN headquarters last year on June 21, PM Modi led the historic Yoga Day celebrations at the North Lawn.
A Pact for the Future at the 79th session
Brazil traditionally begins the debate on September 24, followed by the US, where President Joe Biden will deliver his final address ahead of the November presidential elections. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will present his report ahead of the General Debate, and this will be followed by an address from the President of the 79th session of the General Assembly.
Guterres is also organizing the ambitious Summit of the Future at UN Headquarters during the high-level week, with action days scheduled for September 20-21 and the Summit itself on September 22-23. Global leaders will gather at the UN to adopt the Pact for the Future, which includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes.
"The Summit is a significant event, bringing together world leaders to establish a new international consensus on how to achieve a better present and secure the future," the UN stated.
"Effective global cooperation is increasingly crucial for our survival but challenging to achieve in an environment of mistrust, using outdated structures that no longer reflect today's political and economic realities," it added.
India's push for UN reforms
Consistently batting for a more effective United Nations, India is of the view that the international community needs to make more determined efforts to revitalize the General Assembly to enable it to fulfill its rightful role as the principal deliberative organ of the international organization.
Addressing the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalisation of the Work of the General Assembly in April this year, Minister in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, Pratik Mathur said that the revitalisation of the 193-member General Assembly must also be seen in the wider context of the overall reform of the UN.
The UN’s success rests on the effectiveness of the General Assembly in carrying out its role as its chief deliberative and policy-making body as envisaged in the UN Charter, Mathur had said.
