UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis will embark on his first official visit to India later this month since assuming the highest position of the UN's main policy-making organ. The UNGA president will first visit Uganda on Wednesday from January 17 to 21 to attend the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, held under the theme Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence.
Francis will also attend the Third South Summit of the Group of 77 and China on January 21, convened under the theme Leaving No One Behind. In his address in Uganda at the two high-level forums of developing countries, Francis will highlight that “at a time of unprecedented crises, the combined voice of the Global South is much more needed,” the statement said.
Francis and his delegation from Uganda will proceed to “back-to-back official visits” to India and China, the statement said without providing the exact date of his trip to New Delhi. This will be his first visit to India as President of the General Assembly after his appointment in September 2023.
The exact details about Francis' trip to India remains unclear. However, Security Council reform, South-South Cooperation and the UN’s sustainable development goals are likely to figure in his interactions with officials in New Delhi. He will also be accompanied by his Chef de Cabinet Collen Vixen Kelapile.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India in both the summits in Uganda. Francis has expressed the need for moving ahead with the deadlocked reform of the Security Council, which is of importance to India. He has also expressed appreciation for India’s development efforts across the Global South.
He has also praised India-UN Development Partnership Fund, saying it "supports innovative, Southern-owned and led demand-driven sustainable development projects". The 67-year-old UNGA President has served approximately 40 years in the diplomatic service of Trinidad and Tobago.
(with inputs from agencies)
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