Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the UN General Assembly annual summit today at 6:30 pm IST
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to deliver a virtual speech today at the annual UN General Assembly. PM Modi’s speech is scheduled for 6:30 pm. While the prime minister will speak on wide-ranging topics, from sustainable development to global peacekeeping efforts, his speech will also focus on the key issues of climate change and terrorism, the sources said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s UN General Assembly is taking place virtually, as nearly all world leaders are delivering their speeches in a pre-recorded video format.
The annual debate of the UN General Assembly takes place at the United Nations office in New York. 2020 marks the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, which began in 1945, after the end of World War II.
Prime Minister Modi’s office tweeted last night, confirming his speech scheduled for today.
PM Modi is scheduled as the first speaker before noon, and his speech will air between 9 a.m. local time (New York) and 6:30 p.m. in India.
Some of the priority issues for India at the current 75th session of the UN General Assembly will be to push for the strengthening of global action against terrorism, sources told NDTV.
They said that India will promote greater transparency in the process of listing and delisting of terrorist entities and individuals by the UN sanctions committees.
“As one of the nations that contributes the most troops to the UN, India will also seek to participate intensively in finalizing the mandates for the UN peacekeeping mission,” they said.
India will also focus on issues such as climate change and those related to sustainable development, as New Delhi sees them as priority issues.
Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, India is likely to highlight its role as a “pharmacy for the world” while highlighting its contribution to global cooperation against COVID-19 by helping more than 150 countries, sources said. to NDTV.
India’s priorities will be to ensure inclusive and accountable solutions for international peace and security, an effective response to international terrorism, a new orientation for a reformed multilateral system, technology for all and the streamlining of UN peacekeeping.
Earlier this month, India’s ambassador to the UN, TS Tirumurti, had said that “the prime minister’s speech to the UN and the vision he outlines will be truly important, especially on the eve of our entry into the Security Council of the ONU”.
Tirumurti said that on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the UN, as a founding member of the UN, he proudly recalls the important and, in many ways, the pioneering contribution of India to the success of the UN’s work and to peace and development throughout. the world.
The vision that Prime Minister Modi outlines will be closely watched as he moves forward to India taking a seat on the powerful UN Security Council as a non-permanent member elected for a two-year term from January 1, 2021.
In another significant victory in recent weeks, India was elected as a Member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the world’s leading body focused on gender equality and the empowerment of women, beating China. in a very close election in the year that marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing World Conference of Women.
The Minister of Development of Women and Children, Smriti Irani, will address the high-level meeting on the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women – Beijing +25 on October 1.
The message of the Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar on the UN Summit on Biodiversity will also be convened by the President of the General Assembly on September 30 under the theme “Urgent action on biodiversity for sustainable development” .
India is a major contributor to climate action and, in recent years, has reduced 38 million tons of carbon emissions a year, the minister said.
Over the course of the last decade, about 3 million hectares of forest and tree cover have been added, improving the combined forest and tree cover to 24.56 percent of the country’s total geographic area, he added.
Going forward, India aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land and achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030 and the country has set additional targets to phase out single-use plastic by 2022 and install 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030.
(With PTI inputs)
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