New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually address this year’s High-Level Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) session on July 17 at the United Nations in New York. He will speak at the valedictory session along with the Prime Minister of Norway and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

 

This will be the first opportunity for Modi to address the broader UN membership since India’s overwhelming election as a non-permanent member of the Security Council on June 17 for the term 2021-22.

 

 

The theme of the High-Level Segment of the ECOSOC, on the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the UN, is ‘‘Multilateralism after COVID19: What kind of UN do we need at the 75th anniversary”.

 

It also resonates with India’s Security Council priority, wherein it has called for ‘reformed multilateralism’ in a post-COVID-19 world. It also recalls India’s role, as the holder of the inaugural Presidency of ECOSOC (Sir Ramaswami Mudaliar, in 1946). Modi had earlier delivered the keynote address virtually at the 70th anniversary of ECOSOC in January 2016.

 

The annual High-level Segment convenes a diverse group of high-level representatives from the Government, the private sector, civil society and academia. Set against the changing international environment and the COVID-19 pandemic, this session will focus on critical forces shaping the course of multilateralism and explore ways to bolster the global agenda through strong leadership, effective international institutions, a broadening of participation and enhanced significance of global public goods.