First since 2021, Modi likely to address UN General Assembly on September 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the high-level UN General Assembly session on September 26, according to a provisional list of speakers released by the United Nations. The high-level General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly is scheduled to occur from September 24-30.

This will be Modi’s first address to the UNGA after his re-election as India’s prime minister for the third consecutive term in June. It will also be his first address to the UNGA in three years. This comes amid some of the Western bloc nations expressing concerns over his bilateral summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on his first visit to Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The UN General Debate

The provisional list of speakers for the General Debate, issued by the UN on Monday, indicates that India’s “Head of Government” is set to speak on the afternoon of September 26. It is important to note that this list is not final; the UN regularly updates the provisional lists of speakers in the weeks leading up to the session to account for any changes in attendance, schedules, and speaking slots of leaders, ministers, and ambassadors.

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Brazil, which traditionally opens the debate, will commence the high-level session on September 24.  

This will be followed by the United States, with President Joe Biden delivering his final address of the current term to global leaders from the iconic UN podium ahead of the US presidential elections in November.

Modi, who was sworn in last month for a historic third term, last addressed the annual high-level UNGA session in September 2021. He visited the UN headquarters on June 21 last year, leading the Yoga Day commemoration at the North Lawn of the UN headquarters before proceeding to Washington DC for a State Visit hosted by President Biden.

The annual report by UN chief

UN Secretary-General António Guterres will present his report before the start of the General Debate, followed by an address by the President of the 79th session of the General Assembly. Guterres is also convening the ambitious Summit of the Future at UN Headquarters during the high-level week, with action days slated for September 20-21 and the Summit scheduled for September 22-23.

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World leaders will gather at the United Nations to adopt the Pact for the Future, which will include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes. The UN described the Summit as a high-level event aimed at forging a new international consensus on delivering a better present and safeguarding the future.

“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,” the UN stated.