External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in New York for the high-level UN General Assembly session, with a packed diplomatic week ahead that will include more than 50 official engagements including bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral meetings.

Jaishankar arrived in New York Sunday to participate in the high-level 77th session of the UN General Assembly, which kick-starts September 20 with the opening of the General Debate.

"#IndiaAtUNGA. Delighted to welcome our External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar who is now here to attend the 77th Session of the @UN General Assembly #UNGA. He will co-host & participate in several bilateral, plurilateral & multilateral meetings during this hectic week,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said in a tweet.

Counter-terrorism, peacekeeping, reformed multilateralism, climate action and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines will be among the key focus areas for India during session.

Jaishankar will address world leaders from the UNGA podium on September 24, after a packed week of more than 50 official engagements including bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral meetings at the high-level session and on the sidelines.

His first day of engagements will include several bilateral meetings, including with counterparts from Albania, Malta, Egypt and Indonesia as well as President of the 77th UNGA Session, Csaba Korosi.

He will also headline the France–India–UAE trilateral.

India's Permanent Mission to the UN had said in a video posted on Twitter that the five S’s - Samman (Respect), Samvad (Dialogue), Sahyog (Cooperation), Shanti (Peace) and Samriddhi (Prosperity) - set out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be India’s “guiding light” in its approach to meet.

Strong commitment

Jaishankar's US visit from September 18-28 will also include a trip to Washington DC after the UNGA session. While in New York, he will meet with UN Secretary General António Guterres.

The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that in keeping with India’s strong commitment to reformed multilateralism, Jaishankar will host a Ministerial meeting of the G4 (India, Brazil, Japan, Germany), and participate in the High Level Meeting of the L.69 Group on "Reinvigorating Multilateralism and Achieving Comprehensive Reform of the UN Security Council”.

He would also participate in plurilateral meetings of the Quad, IBSA, BRICS, India – Presidency Pro Tempore CELAC, India-CARICOM and other trilateral formats.

Commemorating and showcasing ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, he would address a special event "India@75: Showcasing India UN Partnership in Action” on September 24, which would highlight India’s development journey and its contributions to South-South Cooperation.

The event is expected to be addressed by the President of the 77th UNGA, along with Foreign Ministers of several member states, and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

The “visit would enable a high-level review of the multifaceted bilateral agenda and strengthen cooperation on regional and global issues to further consolidate the India-US strategic partnership.” India's current two-year tenure at the UNSC ends in December this year, when India will be President of the Council.

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