NEW DELHI: UN deputy chief Amina Mohammed on Monday began a three-day visit to India, during which she is expected to discuss issues such as development and climate action with the country’s leadership.
This is the UN deputy secretary-general’s first official visit to India since her reappointment for a second five-year term in 2022. She visited China last week.
In India, she will hold meeting with external affairs minister S Jaishankar, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and minister for environment, forest and climate change Bhupender Yadav. She will also meet minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan, NITI Aayog vice chairman Suman Bery and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, the external affairs ministry said.
Mohammed had sparked a controversy in April by saying during an event in the US that a conference of special envoys on Afghanistan to be organised by the UN in May would discuss granting recognition to the Taliban setup in Kabul.
The US subsequently rejected any discussions on recognising the Taliban and a UN spokesperson made it clear that the conference, held in Doha during May 1-2, would not focus on possible recognition of the Taliban regime.
Mohammed will also travel to Bengaluru, where she will interact with experts from leading information and technology research institutions and industry representatives to discuss India’s achievements in digital technology. These discussions will focus on whether India’s achievements can be replicated in the Global South to address developmental challenges, the external affairs ministry said.
The visit will be an “opportunity to exchange views on India’s ongoing G20 presidency and its achievements in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ahead of the SDG Summit in September”, the ministry said. It will also be an opportunity to discuss issues related to climate action in the context of developmental priorities.
“The visit is a reflection of India’s abiding commitment to multilateralism, including through its contribution to the UN and its ongoing G20 presidency, in addressing global challenges meaningfully,” the ministry added.
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