PM Modi Likely To Address 79th UN General Assembly Session On Sept 26

The list mentions that the high-level General Debate of the 79th UNGA, set to take place between September 24 and 30, will also be addressed by India's "Head of Government" in a session during the afternoon of September 26.

The list, as it suggests, is provisional and keeps getting updated in the weeks leading up to the General Debate session to reflect any changes in leaders in attendance, schedule and speaking slots of ministers, leaders and ambassadors.

Notably, the Indian government has not yet confirmed PM Modi's address at the UNGA.

The debate will be opened on September 24 by Brazil, the traditional first speaker at the debate, followed by the US wherein President Joe Biden will deliver his current term's final address to global leaders from the UN podium before the November elections in the States.

The Indian Prime Minister last addressed the annual UNGA session in 2021. If Modi's presence is confirmed, this will be his first UN address since being sworn in as the prime minister for a third straight term.

Modi had visited the UN headquarters in June 21, 2023, for the commemoration of the Yoga Day at the North Lawn of the global body's HQ. He had then taken a trip to Washington DC for a State visited hosted by President Joe Biden.

Before the start of the General Debate, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will present his report, followed by an address by the President of the 79th session of the General Assembly.

Guterres is also convening the Summit of the Future at UN Headquarters during the high-level week, with the action days scheduled for September 20 and 21 and the Summit for September 23 and 24.

Global leaders will come together at the UN to adopt the Pact for the Future, which will also include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes.

"The Summit is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future, the United Nations said.

"Effective global cooperation is increasingly critical to our survival but difficult to achieve in an atmosphere of mistrust, using outdated structures that no longer reflect today's political and economic realities," it added.

MODI'S 2021 UNGA ADDRESS | A RECAP

During his last address at the UNGA in 2021, Modi had hailed the strength of India's democracy, saying that a small child who once helped his father at a Tea stall at a railway station was now addressing the UNGA for the fourth time as the Prime Minister of India.

He had listed the Indian government's achievements in regards to bringing people out of poverty and running a massive campaign for tackling water pollution.

Modi had also pointed that every sixth person in the world is an Indian, saying 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."

The Indian prime minister had also invited global nations to make vaccine in India. He said, "India, which lives on the principle of ‘Sewa Parmo Dharma’, is dedicated to vaccination development and manufacturing despite limited resources."

"I want to inform UNGA that, India has developed the world’s first, the world’s first DNA based vaccine, which can be administered to all people above the age of 12 years," he added.

He had remarked that if the UN has to keep itself relevant, it has to "improve its effectiveness and increase its reliability".

(With PTI inputs)