External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived New York on Tuesday for a two-day visit to preside over two high-level ministerial signature events of India’s ongoing UN Security Council Presidency on December 14 and 15.
Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, welcomed Jaishankar. “We were delighted to welcome our External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, during India’s current UN Security Council Presidency. The Minister will preside over hallmark events at the UN, as well as bilaterals and key side events “Kamboj posted a tweet.
The High-Level Ministerial Open Debate on December 14 is on the topic of “New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism” [NORMS] and the High-Level Briefing on December 15 is on “Global Approach to Counter Terrorism – Challenges and Way Forward”.
Both of these issues have been top priority for India during its current UN Security Council term.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated in an earlier release that the primary goal of the Open Debate on Reformed Multilateralism is to encourage all Member States to seriously address the pressing need for reforms in the global governance multilateral architecture, including long-standing UN Security Council reforms.
According to the MEA, the meeting will also include briefings from the Secretary General of the United Nations and the President of the 77th UN General Assembly.
Separately, the High-Level Briefing on Counter-Terrorism will seek to promote consensus among Council Members on the broad principles of a global counter-terror architecture, with the goal of building on the Delhi Declaration, which was adopted during the Special Meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee held on October 28-30 in Mumbai and New Delhi.
EAM will also unveil Mahatma Gandhi’s bust at the UN Headquarters during the visit. The figure, a gift from India to the UN, will be the first Gandhi sculpture to be displayed at the UN Headquarters.
