Fernanda Espinosa
Describing the country as a "very important player" of the multilateral system, UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa said India's success in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can change the face of the world.
Under her presidency of the 193-member UN General Assembly, she is very much looking forward to engaging and working together with India, said Espinosa.
"India is indeed a very important player of the multilateral system. It is a friendly country to the United Nations. If India succeeds in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda - we are talking about 1.3 billion people - this really can change the face of the world,” she told PTI.
In June, Espinosa was elected President of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly. Ecuador's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, she becomes only the fourth female President of the organisation in its 73-year history.
In as early as 1953, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (veteran Indian diplomat and sister of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru) was the first woman to be elected President of the General Assembly.
Later, Angie Elisabeth Brooks (Liberia) was elected in 1969 and Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa (Bahrain) in 2006.
Espinosa, before assuming office as UNGA President, had visited India. She had met PM Narendra Modi.
