First sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi at UN Headquarters to be unveiled today

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will unveil Mahatma Gandhi’s bust – the first Gandhi sculpture to be installed at the UN Headquarters – in New York later today as a gift from India during its ongoing Presidency of the Security Council.

Jaishankar will then chair a High-Level Ministerial open debate on reformed multilateralism before presiding over another high-level briefing on Thursday on ‘Global Approach to Counter Terrorism – Challenges and Way Forward’ – both themes being key priorities for India during its current tenure at the UN Security Council.

The primary focus of the open debate on Reformed Multilateralism is to encourage all Member States to seriously address the pressing need for reforms in the global governance multilateral architecture, including the long-standing reforms of the UN Security Council. The meeting will also witness briefings by the Secretary General of the United Nations and the President of the 77th UN General Assembly (UNGA).

The High-Level Briefing on Counter Terrorism on Thursday will seek to promote consensus amongst Council Members on the broad principles of a global counter-terror architecture and aim to further build upon the Delhi Declaration adopted during the Special Meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee held on October 28-30 in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Earlier today, after arriving in New York on Tuesday, Jaishankar held discussions with the State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Yamada Kenji.

“As G4 members, India and Japan work together to advance reformed multilateralism. Spoke about the need to take forward IGN process more effectively,” the minister tweeted after the meeting.

He also met UNGA President Csaba Korosi, discussing India’s UNSC experience, G20 Presidency goals, and the importance of reformed multilateralism with him.

During his visit, a special photo exhibition showcasing India’s initiative on ‘International Year of Millets 2023’ along with a millets-based luncheon will also be hosted by EAM for UN Secretary-General and UNSC member states.

Also Read: Japan joins UN initiative to combat violent extremism in Central Asia