Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the high-level UN General Assembly session on September 26, 2024, according to a provisional list of speakers released by the United Nations (UN). The high-level General Debate of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly is scheduled to begin from September 24-26, 2024.
This will be PM Modi’s first address to the UNGA after his re-election as India’s PM 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 PM Modi’s bilateral annual summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on his first visit to Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The provisional list of speakers for the General Debate issued by the UN on July 16, 2024, indicates that India’s Head of Government is set to speak on the afternoon of the September 26. It is important to note that this list is not final the UN regularly updates the provisional list 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.
Brazil, which traditionally opens the debate, will commence the high-level session on September 24, 2024. This will be followed by the United States of America, 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 2024.
Modi, who was sworn in last month for a historic third term, leading the Yoga Day commemoration at the North Lawn of the UN headquarters before proceeding to Washington DC for a state visit by President Biden. The UN Secretary General Antonio 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 the UN HQ during the high-level week with action days slated for September 20-21 and Summit scheduled for September 22-23.
World leaders will gather at the United Nations to adopt the Pact for the Future which will include a Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations as annexes. The UN described the Summitt 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 achieve in an atmosphere of mistrust, using the outdated structures that no longer reflect today’s political and economic realities,” the UN stated.
