India will continue to emphasise issues that are vital to the Global South countries as the current President of the G20, said country’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj at the 78th UN General Assembly. The high-level 78th session of the UNGA began on Monday as heads of State and Governments, world leaders, and foreign ministers arrived at the UN headquarters in New York. Sustainable Development Goals, financing for development, climate action and pandemic response are some of the agenda that would take centre stage at the session.
Speaking at the high-level session, Kamboj said, “As the current president of the G20, India will continue to emphasise issues that are vital to the Global South countries, including climate action, finance and sustainable development goals.”
“We proudly opened the doors for the African Union to join the G20, recognising the importance of global collaboration to address contemporary challenges,” she added.
“In matters of human rights and social issues, India champions health, universal health coverage and the prevention of pandemics. We stand firmly for women's rights, constructive human rights dialogues and an inter-cultural dialogue for peace, said Kamboj.
She also stressed on the need for global counter-terrorism efforts that address the misuse of technology by terrorists and advocate for comprehensive convention on international terrorism."
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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who attended the G20 Summit in New Delhi and the G-77, said this week, "begins the greatest G of all – the G-193 – the High-Level Week of the General Assembly. It is a one-of-a-kind moment each year for leaders from every corner of the globe to not only assess the state of the world – but to act for the common good, as per a PTI report.
"Action is what the world needs now. We will be gathering at a time when humanity faces huge challenges – from the worsening climate emergency to escalating conflicts, the global cost-of-living crisis, soaring inequalities and dramatic technological disruptions. People are looking to their leaders for a way out of this mess,” he said.
A PTI had earlier stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was likely to address the annual high-level session of the UN General Assembly citing a provisional list of speakers issued by the UN.
However, later it was reported the he will not attend the seesion and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar would address the high-level week. Jaishankar will address the General Debate on the morning of September 26, the last day of the high-level week.