BRICS Summit: UN Chief Antonio Guterres To Meet PM Modi During India Visit

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India for the BRICS summit, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, Dujarric confirmed that Guterres would attend the summit, although the UN had not formally announced his visit. He said Guterres would hold talks with PM Modi.

The visit will mark Guterres’ second trip to India this year and his fifth since becoming UN Secretary-General. He travelled to New Delhi in February to attend the India-AI Impact Summit.

Guterres, who has about four months left in his tenure, could use the BRICS summit as one of his final opportunities to meet PM Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Putin and Xi are likely to attend the summit but will skip the high-level UN General Assembly meeting later this month.

The BRICS leaders will meet against the backdrop of conflicts involving Iran and Ukraine. These crises have affected global food security, economic stability and progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Ten BRICS members will attend the summit. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will join the summit, which begins on September 12.

India, which currently chairs BRICS, has set the theme ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’.

The theme reflects priorities Guterres has consistently promoted during his decade at the helm of the United Nations.

The summit will provide leaders with an opportunity to discuss international cooperation, ongoing conflicts, sustainable development and global economic resilience. It will allow Guterres to engage with key leaders before his term as UN Secretary-General ends.

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