UN chief Guterres to meet PM Modi and EAM Jaishankar during two-day India visit

United Nations, Oct 17: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during a two-day visit to India, his spokesperson said here on Monday.

Guterres, who will be in India from October 18-20, will take part in an event on India and UN partnership and will also participate in the launch of the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) Mission,” Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing.

During his two-day visit, the Secretary-General will meet with Prime Minister Modi as well as External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. Guterres will also visit a model project site which has recently been declared India's first solar-powered village in Gujarat’s Modhera.

"At the site, the Secretary-General will witness how solar rooftops installed on more than 1300 rural houses are improving lives and community,” Dujarric said.

The Secretary-General will then head off to Vietnam where he will take part in a ceremony to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Vietnam's membership to the United Nations. When asked at the noon briefing by a Pakistani journalist whether Guterres will discuss the situation in Kashmir with the Indian leaders, Dujarric said that he “wait for a readout of what is actually been discussed. And then we can talk about what's been said instead of saying what may be said.”

This will be the Secretary-General’s first visit to India, since he commenced his second term in office in January 2022. He had earlier visited India in October 2018 during his first term.

Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said that Guterres will commence his visit to India by paying tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai.

Guterres will also deliver a public address at IIT Mumbai on 'India @75: UN-India Partnership: Strengthening South-South Cooperation’. Guterres will join Prime Minister Modi on October 20 in Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar, Kevadiya at the launch of the Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) booklet, logo and tagline.

In Kevadiya, Guterres is expected to pay floral tributes at the Statue of Unity and visit the Sun Temple in Modhera, where he will also witness other development projects in the area.

The MEA statement said that Mission LiFE will be India’s signature initiative at the United Nations and other international platforms for showcasing climate action and early achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Jaishankar would hold bilateral discussions with Guterres “on issues of global concern, steps to deepen India’s engagement with the UN, including through India’s upcoming Presidency of the G20 and reformed multilateralism.”