Modi likely to address UNGA session in person

In 2019, Modi traveled to New York for the high-level UN General Assembly session…reports Asian Lite News.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will in all likelihood address the UN General Assembly session in-person on September 25, as per a provisional list of speakers released by the UN.

Although the list and schedule can change, the presence of world leaders in the New York-based UN headquarters for the high-level annual session will depend on the pandemic situation, especially as high transmissible delta variant rages in the US and other parts of the world.

As per the provisional list of speakers for the General Debate at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Modi is expected to speak at the high-level session on the morning of September 25, the first leader listed for the day.

In 2019, Modi traveled to New York for the high-level UN General Assembly session.

In 2020, world leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, submitted pre-recorded video statements for the United Nations General Assembly session in September, as heads of state and government could not physically attend the annual gathering due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In the 75 years history of the UN, it was the first time that the high-level session had gone virtual. This year too, the option has been kept open for the world leaders to send in pre-recorded statements since the pandemic continues to rage across several nations around the world.

The General Debate begins on September 21 and US President Joe Biden is scheduled to address the session in-person, his first address to the world organisation as the American leader.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian leader Scott Morrison are also listed to address the General Debate in person on September 24.

With leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States expected to attend the General Assembly session in person, it is highly likely that the Quad Leaders’ Summit could take place in September around the UNGA.

The US, India, Australia and Japan had in 2017 given shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to counter China’s aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region.

The informal group’s first Leaders’ Summit was held in March 2021 virtually. On Thursday, senior officials from the four nations met virtually as part of regular Quad consultations and “they welcomed the opportunity to continue regular consultations at the ministerial, senior official, and working levels and to hold a second Leaders’ Summit this fall,” the US State Department said Thursday. (India News Network)

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