United Nations: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not participate in the General Debate at the upcoming high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) later this month, according to a revised provisional list of speakers.
The 80th session of the UNGA opens on September 9, with the high-level General Debate scheduled from September 23-29. Brazil will speak first, followed by the United States. US President Donald Trump will address world leaders on September 23, marking his first UNGA speech during his second term.
India will be represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who is scheduled to speak on September 27. Earlier, a provisional list released in July had Prime Minister Modi slated to address the debate on September 26. On that day, the leaders of Israel, China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are also scheduled to speak.
Modi had previously visited the US in February for a bilateral meeting with Trump at the White House. Relations between the two countries have recently been strained, with the US imposing tariffs totaling 50 percent on India, including 25 percent on Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.
The UNGA speaker list is provisional, and schedules may change as the high-level week approaches. The session, regarded as the “busiest diplomatic season” at UN Headquarters, takes place every September.
This year’s session occurs amid ongoing conflicts, including the Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine crisis. The theme for the 80th session is “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development, and human rights.”
The session opens on September 22 with a meeting to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. A high-level meeting will also mark the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, focusing on “Recommitting to, resourcing and accelerating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.” The meeting will review progress since the 1995 Beijing conference and examine achievements, best practices, gaps, and ongoing challenges in promoting gender equality globally.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a Climate Summit on September 24, providing a platform for world leaders to present new national climate action plans and highlight opportunities in the clean energy transition.
Other high-level meetings during the week include discussions on a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient global economy; noncommunicable diseases and mental health; the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth; the launch of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance; the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons; and the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar.
