PM Modi has 'very productive conversation' with UN chief Guterres during G20 Summit   

Johannesburg, Nov 22 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that he held a "very productive conversation" with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the G20 Johannesburg Summit.

"A very productive conversation with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the G20 Johannesburg Summit," PM Modi posted on X along with his photograph with the UN chief.

Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar met with Guterres in New York for a wide-ranging discussion of the current global situation and multilateralism.

After he met with Guterres at UN headquarters in New York on November 13 (local time), the EAM posted on X that he "valued his assessment of the current global order and its implications for multilateralism".

"Also appreciated his perspectives on various regional hotspots," he added.

Guterres' Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq had earlier said that the Secretary General sends his condolences to the government and people of India for "what happened there", referring to the car bomb attack near the Red Fort on November 10.

The meeting between PM Modi and the UN chief on Saturday is likely to have taken place after the Prime Minister participated in the opening session of the G20 Leaders' Summit at Johannesburg - his 12th participation in G-20 Summits.

In his address at the session titled 'Inclusive and sustainable economic growth leaving no one behind', PM Modi highlighted the idea of 'Integral Humanism' based on India's civilizational wisdom, to bring harmony between progress and planet. He also noted that some of the historic decisions taken during the New Delhi Summit have been carried forward.

He also appreciated the work done under the South African presidency in the areas of skilled migration, tourism, food security, AI, digital economy, innovation and women empowerment, calling for giving greater voice to the Global South in global governance structures.

Giving shape to the vision of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' towards inclusive and sustainable economic growth and leaving no one behind, Prime Minister Modi made four proposals during his remarks at the first session.

It included the setting up of a 'Global Traditional Knowledge Repository' under the G20; a 'G20-Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative'; a 'G20 Global Healthcare Response Team'; and, a G20 initiative on 'Countering the Drug–Terror Nexus'.

--IANS

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