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UN Secretary-General António Guterres is in India, and he began his official visit on Wednesday by attending a tribute to the victims of the 2008 terrorist attacks that took place at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai.
Afterwards, he went to the Indian Institute of Technology in India’s business capital, where he delivered a lecture, hailing the partnership between the country and the UN, in celebration of India’s 75th anniversary.
He said India’s upcoming presidency of the G20 – the group of major industrialized nations - will be an important opportunity to bring the values and vision of the developing world to the top table of the global economy, and highlight the Global South overall.
The UN chief also counted on India’s support in mobilizing G20 countries around debt relief.
Biggest contributor
The Secretary-General noted that India is the biggest provider of military and police personnel to UN missions, including the first all-women UN police contingent to be posted to a UN peacekeeping mission.
He said that more than 200,000 Indian men and women had served in 49 peacekeeping missions, since they began in 1948.
The Secretary-General also pointed out that as the home of one-sixth of humanity and the world’s largest generation of young people, India can “make or break” the 2030 Agenda.
‘High impact’ development
‘India’s recent development journey is characterized by high impact programmes delivered at scale. This includes the world’s largest food-based social protection scheme and the massive expansion of access to clean water and sanitation services.”
He encouraged India’s engagement in deep reform of the global financial architecture, which currently favours the richest countries at the expense of the rest.
He also urged India to become a global superpower in renewables technology, and a manufacturing hub to fuel this revolution around the world.
He added that India’s voice on the global stage can only gain in authority and credibility from a strong commitment to inclusivity and respect for human rights at home.
Modi meeting
On Thursday, he plans to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and he will also visit a model project site, which has recently been declared India’s first solar-powered village.
After leaving India he travels to Viet Nam, where he will participate in a ceremony to commemorate the country’s 45th anniversary as a UN Member State.
