PM Modi's participation in two debates to be 'highlight' of upcoming UNGA session

India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations TS Tirumurti on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would participate in two debates at the "historic" United Nations General Assembly session this year, beginning from September 21.

"This time, the UN General Assembly will be historic and in more than one way. As far as India is concerned, the highlight will be the participation of PM Modi in two debates in the high-level segments starting on Monday," TS Tirumuti told ANI.

The first event is a general debate where the Prime Minister will represent India at the UN and deliver the national statement. The second event is the high-level plenary meeting to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the UN. "PM Modi’s address will certainly be the highlight of our participation in UNGA," Tirumurti remarked.

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The theme of the UN General Assembly session is: 'The Future We Want, The UN We Need'. The diplomat said this year’s theme "reaffirms India’s collective commitment to multilateralism, confronting COVID-19 through effective multilateral actions".

Tirumurti also said the UN General Assembly session will be different this year from all previous seasons as the world is battling COVID-19 pandemic. In light of the travel restrictions, most leaders will not go to New York and the high-level debate will be conducted virtually.

"World leaders will be delivering their national statements through pre-recorded videos. The hall of the General Assembly will not be empty. One representative per delegation will be allowed in the General Assembly hall. If they wish, they can introduce the video of their respective heads of state or government," he said. 

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Javadekar to participate in biodiversity summit

The diplomat also said that UN will be organising its first biodiversity summit virtually on September 30 with the theme -- 'Urgent action on biodiversity for sustainable development'. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar will represent India in this summit. TS Tirumurti stressed that India is one of 10 largest biodiverse countries in the world, with a leading role in the field of biodiversity.

"India recently held the Conference of Parties of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in February this year. We had also organised the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in September last year in Delhi, which saw the adoption of the ambitious Delhi Declaration," he said.

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Smriti Irani to participate in World Conference on Women

TS Tirumurti also informed that an important event will be held on October 1 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Platform for action, which is "widely acknowledged as the most comprehensive plan for advancing rights of women and girls". Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani will be attending the event underlining India's strong commitment to women empowerment and gender sensitivity.

Furthermore, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be participating in some of the ministerial meetings which will be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, said Tirumurti.

"On October 2, the UN will be holding International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will be delivering India's remarks at this event," he said.

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(Image credits: AP)