United Nations: United Nations General Assembly President Dennis Francis will visit India from January 22-26, during which he is expected to discuss “geopolitical tensions” with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, according to his spokesperson Monica Grayley.
Francis will renew his invitation to Jaishankar to participate in the inaugural ‘Sustainability Week’ at the UN headquarters in April and the September ‘Summit of the Future’, she said on Saturday, releasing his itinerary.
Francis will be arriving in New Delhi after attending the summits of the ‘Non-Aligned Movement’ and the ‘Group of 77’ in the Ugandan capital Kampala.
His five-day India visit during which he will interact with government leaders and civil society representatives will also take him to Jaipur and Mumbai.
In New Delhi, he will speak at an event on Digital Public Infrastructure “highlighting India’s leadership in championing the interests of the Global South and sharing experiences on further efforts to close the digital divide”, Grayley said.
He will also address the Indian Council of World Affairs on the theme of his presidency, “Peace, Progress, Prosperity, and Sustainability”, she said.
In the Rajasthan capital, Francis will visit the NGO that developed the “Jaipur Foot” leading to a network that provides affordable and accessible prosthetic limbs around the world, according to his itinerary.
He will conclude his visit in Mumbai, where he will take part in a think tank’s Fireside Chat on ‘New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism’, and visit the National Stock Exchange, Grayeley said.
She had earlier said that Francis, a career diplomat from Trinidad elected Assembly president last year, will also visit China.
(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis
