United Nations chief Antonio Guterres to visit India in October
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres will travel to India early next month, his first trip to the country as the UN Secretary-General. He will arrive in New Delhi on October 1. His visit coincides with the beginning of events to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, 2019, Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq said yesterday. Here's more.
Guterres to inaugurate new UN House in New Delhi
On October 1, Guterres will formally open the new UN House in New Delhi and on October 2, the Secretary-General will participate in the closing session of the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention. The next day, he will meet President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi, and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. A meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan is also scheduled.
Guterres to give lecture at India Habitat Center
Guterres is also scheduled to deliver a lecture at the India Habitat Centre on Global Affairs on "Global challenges, global solutions". He is also slated to participate in the General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance. On October 3, he'll visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which will be a personal one as the UN chief wanted to see the holy site, said Haq.
Will Guterres talk about the 1984 Sikh riots?
Guterres will return to New York on October 4. When it comes to Golden Temple, a mention about the 1984 Sikh riots is inevitable. On whether Guterres will talk about that, Haq said it's a bit "premature" to mention the topics he will bring up.
Haq thanks India for contributing towards solar-panels for UN building
Haq also expressed UN's gratitude to the Indian Government for its contribution of $1 million to install solar panels and a green roof on the Conference Building of the United Nations Secretariat. The contribution was received by Under-Secretary-General for Management Jan Beagle, who said, "India's generous contribution sends a strong message promoting innovation for action on climate change, and to enable greater efficiencies."
Guterres last visited India just before his Secretary General election
Guterres had visited India in July 2016, just months ahead of the election for Secretary General. During his visit then, he had met Swaraj. He also addressed the Indian Council of World Affairs on the worldwide refugee crisis and the humanitarian emergencies.
